Premium sports socks

Discount Store News, Sept 15, 1997

Premium sports socks are moving well in Wal-Mart, whose women's "Fit First" label will soon appear in men's as well, says Jill Flynt, fashion director of Mount Airy, N.C.- based apparel manufacturer Renfro Corp.

According to McCauley of DuPont, synthetic fibers like CoolMax are moving well in all retail levels, though department and specialty stores are more likely to carry the high-tech fibers in a larger variety of products, including bodywear, while discounters, at least for now, offer them primarily in socks. Eventually, mass marketers may find it profitable to broaden their selections as well, she adds. At a Wal-Mart store in New Port Richey, Fla., the giant discounter is already offering several varieties of women's bodywear made with Coolmax for about $6.

Synthetic fibers also follow for special treatments other than anti-fungal and wicking properties. A product carrying the ABC-TV logo in ABC sports Line sports socks, available from Renfro and sold exclusively for now in Sears, is made with special fibers that glow in the dark for nighttime joggers.

No one is suggesting that conventional cotton tube socks are history; indeed, they're still leading in many areas. "Our best-selling sports sock program this year has been Fruit of the Loom heavyweight three-pack socks retailing at $5.99," says Joel Freedman, buyer of men's accessories and other categories for Venture. He adds that many customers still prefer the heavyweight cotton.

However, synthetics are causing a new round of excitement. "The big-quantity cotton six-packs are still a large percentage of what sells in the mass, but as a growth market, the premium sock has a real future," Schierlmann says.