NPD Reports Major European Markets Showing Growth in 'Leisure & Classics' Footwear

Business Wire,  June 24, 2008  

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Online Purchasing Also on the Rise

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. -- The NPD Group, Inc., a leading market research company reports the European athletic footwear market is seeing the biggest growth in 'Leisure & Classics' or low performance athletic shoes, sneaker-type shoes designed primarily for fashion and style rather than pursuit of a specific sport. Annual 2007 figures for Europe's Big 5* market show that sales of athletic footwear used for leisure grew by 2% while sales of athletic footwear used for sport declined 5%. NPD is seeing a similar trend in the U.S. athletic footwear market, where sales of low performance shoes showed a 12.4% increase for Annual 2007.

"The long-term trend we see is that sport inspired/fashion focused shoes are taking over market share from more functional shoes. Clearly, this is a trend that is here to stay and will be a primary driver of growth in the European sport industry." said Renaud Vaschalde, sports industry analyst, Europe.

This is a trend that is crossing demographic boundaries, too. Women tell NPD they love these fashion forward shoes but wear them more for after work pursuits while their daughters wear them on a daily basis. Men are currently buying into this trend but are opting for vintage or classic style shoes. Styles from the Air Max series or Stan Smith shoes are among the most popular with male consumers. "The male consumer still remains very interested in the functional/performance oriented shoes when they are serious about pursuing a specific sport." noted Vaschalde.

The five best-selling athletic footwear styles in Europe for Annual 2007 are all 'Leisure & classics' styles.

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According to Vaschalde, the main driver behind this growth trend is higher acceptance of these sport inspired shoes in the workplace and hence in daily life. While teenagers and 18-34 year olds account for the largest share of purchases, popularity is growing in the 35-44 year old group, fueling the trend

Online Purchasing is Also on the Rise

NPD reports that just as what consumers are purchasing is changing, so is how they are purchasing. Internet sales experienced steady growth over the last four years, making up 8 percent of total footwear sales in 2007 compared to only two percent in 2002.

For Annual 2007 overall, Great Britain had the highest share of Internet sales while Italy and Spain had very little. In the categories of shoes purchased online, Football shoes garnered the largest share at 10%, and Running shoes got 7%.

"The sport industry in Europe is dynamic and ever evolving. The sport marketplace will be one we continue to study." said Vaschalde, "And we will continue to help the industry understand and keep pace with it." concluded Vaschalde.

*European Big5 Countries are: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain

About The NPD Group, Inc.

The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us or visit http://www.npd.com/.

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