The growth of the Sports & Leisure sector is one of the major success stories in recent years. This has been underpinned by an increase in leisure time, as well as a desire on the part of many people to lead a healthier lifestyle, particularly with obesity becoming a major public health issue. The market has also been driven by significant increases in product performance, not just in equipment, but also in clothing and footwear that contribute to increased satisfaction levels for participants.
Sport and leisure activities can only increase, despite the fact they may have stagnated somewhat during the recession. With increasing media coverage of sport, some people argue that this is creating more spectators than participants.
However, there will be an impact of our changing lifestyles on the type of sports and outdoor activities in which we participate. A key question here is how this will affect the sports equipment, sports clothing and sports footwear we buy.
The Outdoor Market has benefited from a move to a more active lifestyle. Figures from the European Outdoor Group indicate that this market is dominated by clothing and footwear. Germany is the leading European market with a 23% share, followed by the UK & Ireland and France with 15% and 14% shares respectively.
A more active lifestyle is also illustrated by a sustained growth of the fitness industry in some European countries, even if some people have reduced expenditure on other consumer durables. The UK market is the largest fitness market in Europe, but this remained static in 2010 despite consistent growth in previous years. Meanwhile the German fitness market continues to demonstrate increasing levels of participation. In 2010, around 14% of all 18-65 year olds were engaged in fitness activity.
