The sportswear market - France (2024)

1.2 A booming global market

The global apparel and footwear market has grown steadily over the past ten years, reaching $*,*** billion in **** according to Fashion United. The sportswear market has followed the same growth dynamic, reinforced by consumers' rising disposable incomes and their desire to maintain good physical condition. A **** study by Research and Markets estimates the global sportswear market at $***.* billion for the year ****, a market that should continue to grow at a CAGR of *.*% between **** and ****.

The following estimates can be made for the period ****-****:

Sportswear market value World, ****-****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

Internationally, the biggest sportswear markets are North America, Western Europe and Asia.

The best-known brands are Nike and Adidas. They have made their mark thanks to their research and development (***) work, which enables them to create quality products that adapt to trends. Similarly, marketing and communication efforts have brought sportswear into the minds of consumers.

Other major sportswear players include Puma, Columbia, The North Face, Under Armour and Patagonia.

1.3 National sportswear market follows global trend

In France, despite an inflationary context, the apparel market shows sustained growth in ****, with sales up by around *% vs. ****, according to the Observatoire Economique de l'Institut Français de la Mode (***).

Union Sport et Cycle forecasts **% growth in sales of sporting goods sold in stores and online in the first half of ****. Within this market, the sportswear segment is growing by no less than **%[***]. In Europe, France is the second-largest market for sporting goods, behind Germany, with a market worth ** billion euros. The size of this segment (***) should be identically proportional to the size of the sportswear market, whatever the country in Western Europe.

Insee measures household consumption every year, giving us a more precise picture of the value of sportswear consumption, which exceeded * billion euros in ****.

Consumption in value of sportswear France, ****, € million Source: ****

The French Ministry of Economy and Finance has listed some key figures for ****, giving us a better understanding of the French sportswear market. It states that:

"The sports market in France represents some €**.* billion, or nearly *.*% of national gross domestic product (***). This figure includes spending by households, public administrations and businesses" "**% of French people say they take part in sport "**% wear sportswear outside any sporting ...

1.4 Foreign trade in sportswear

France's trade balance in the sportswear segment is largely negative: in a market where products are largely produced in Asia, it is a major importer from other parts of the world. The United Nations database, which records world trade data, gives us some figures for the category comprising tracksuits, skiwear and swimwear (***):

Balance of trade in sportswear (***) France, ****-****, in millions of $ Source: ****

Among these figures, the * countries from which France imports the most items under code **** (***) by value are: China, Tunisia and Belgium.

The countries to which France exports the most are: Spain, Italy and the UK (***).

France's partner countries in sporting goods trade under code **** (***) France, ****, in millions of $ Source: ****

2.1 Determinants of demand for sportswear

*. Demand correlated with growth in sporting activities

A major factor in the growth in demand for sportswear is the development of sporting activities in general. While some sport is practised purely for leisure, others are motivated by a growing awareness, or even a tendency, to practise sport for health or aesthetic reasons. This trend is illustrated by the growing number of sporting activities on offer in France, particularly gyms. In January ****, a survey by Odoxa revealed that **% of French people had resolved to do more sport, mainly for reasons of health, well-being (***) or aesthetics.

Reasons why French people want to do more sport France, ****, in Odoxa

On the podium of sports that French people who are determined to do more sport intend to practice the most, we find hiking, followed by fitness and running. Sales of these types of sport are likely to be more or less affected.

Sports that French people who are determined to do more sport intend to practise France, ****, in Odoxa

Last but not least, demand for sportswear can be impacted by other factors, such as awareness-raising campaigns by government authorities. These regularly encourage the practice of physical activity, as illustrated by the March *, **** law aimed at ...

2.2 Dynamics and trends in sportswear demand

*. Growing demand for high-end sportswear

As sportswear becomes an integral part of consumers' daily lives, it is becoming a style in its own right, even a social symbol of a successful life combining career, diet and fitness. The demand for high-end, even luxury sportswear is growing, as it reflects this type of lifestyle. They are also driven by telecommuting via the comfort they offer, but also by the "escape" they seem to or suggest they offer the wearer. As Baptiste Picard-Deyme, strategic planner for ZenithOptimedia, explains: many luxury brands, notably from the Kering and LVMH groups, have worked to develop their "sporty side" with a view to responding to the "urban fantasy of slowing down" and a more physically active daily life[***].

A Deloitte study shows that spending on sportswear increases with income. More than an increase in the quantity of clothing purchased, this suggests the existence of a real demand for high-end sportswear.

Sportswear expenditure by income France, ****, in € Deloitte

"How much have you spent on sportswear and equipment in the last ** months?" Europe, ****, in € Source: ****

*. Growth in women's sportswear

Although sport has long been a predominantly male activity, the market for women's sportswear has grown over the ...

3.1 The organization and dynamics of the sportswear market

The sportswear market is organized around players who can be divided into two categories:

Players specializing in the sale of sporting goods, who account for **% of market share (***). Non-specialized players with a much smaller market share: these are generally generalist sales networks and wholesale distribution chains (***).

In view of new market trends, such as the rise of lifestyle sportswear or women's sportswear, specialized players are taking a greater interest in current clothing trends to offer related clothing.this provides them with new opportunities and sources of creation and innovation, and enables them to maintain their advantage over non-specialized players.

It is important to note that the market share of independent retailers continues to decline, and many of them are forced to join groups and franchise networks in order to pursue this activity without having to face competition from the larger players, who monopolize almost the entire market.

Within the specialized players, three sub-categories can be identified:

Large and medium-sized retailers with a multi-sport offering (***) Chains specializing in a specific sport (***) Retail networks (***)

The top of the ranking doesn't change much: large and medium-sized retailers are characterized by a very dense product catalog, while discipline-specific chains stand out for their experience and ...

3.2 Sportswear distribution networks in France

The "Union Sport et Cycle" has drawn up a typology of sporting goods retailers. The main categories in France are :

Specialist multisport superstores (***); Specialized retailers with an offer focused on a particular sport, selling mainly in their physical outlets and secondarily online. Multisport importers/distributors (***). Agents, who are store networks that have obtained exclusivity for clothing brands.

It is important to note that specialist sports department stores hold the largest share of the sportswear market, giving them the advantage of being able to market sportswear through this channel:

Breakdown of the sportswear market by type of player France, ****, in Source: ****

3.3 Market players

Although the number of companies operating under NAF code **.**Z rose slightly between **** and ****, the trend has been rather stagnant in recent years. In ****, *,*** companies operated under this code.

Number of companies registered under NAF code ****Z (***) France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

In terms of the regional distribution of specialist sporting goods stores, there are a very large number of establishments in the Auvergne-Rhône region.gion Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (***).

!function(***);

Source: ****

The number of employees working in the specialized sporting goods retail sector has risen over the past eight years. There were more than **,*** workers in ****, compared with **,*** in ****.

Workforce registered under NAF code ****Z (***) France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

Nota Bene : "Made in France

Despite the fashion in many markets for "Made in France" as a communication and marketing tool, and a guarantee of quality, this trend has little impact on the overall supply of French sporting goods, most of which are manufactured in Asia.

!function(***);

4.1 Physical retailing, the main source of clothing supplies

Today's sportswear offer is mainly made up of players operating in the physical retail sector:

Private label distributors such as Nike, Adidas, Lacoste, Le Coq Sportif and Quicksilver. These brands are aimed at the general public and are mainly positioned in the mid-range segment, with a small part of their offer in the high-end segment, Multi-sport and multi-brand retailers such as Décathlon, Go Sport and Sport ****. They also cater to the general public, offering a range of products from entry-level to mid-range, Retailers specialized in a specific sport, such as Espace Foot or Golf Plus. They are aimed at a restricted and specific clientele, looking for advice on how to make their purchases. They are therefore in the mid- to top-range, Mass-market retailers such as Carrefour and Auchan. They target the general public and are positioned in the basic segment (***). Their sportswear offer is mainly made up of their own brands, Ready-to-wear retailers such as Zara, H&M and Uniqlo. They target the general public with an offer ranging from entry-level to mid-range. Their sportswear falls into the "lifestyle" category, as it is not clothing that promotes sporting performance. Their clothing is distributed under their own brands.

Multi-sport and multi-brand ...

4.2 The development of online sales will upset the current balance

The existing balance, characterized by the preponderance of physical sales in the sportswear market, is not immune to the threat posed by the explosion of e-commerce.

In a context where footfall in so-called physical stores has not yet returned to pre-**** levels, physical players in the sportswear trade need to modify, or even reinvent, their sales model, constantly adapting to the market in order to keep their place, as Philippe Moati, Professor of Economics at the University of Paris-Diderot, points out. The World Trade Organization (***) are aware that "we are evolving from an economy of products to an economy of useful effects through service-based models". So, in order to maintain its leadership and not be overtaken by new entrants in the sportswear, existing physical players need to adapt to changing consumer habits both in terms of new trends such as lifestyle sportswear, and the growth of online shopping.

These new e-commerce players include non-specialized pure players such as Amazon and E-Bay, whose business model enables them to offer an unlimited catalog of products, to position themselves in all segments and to target all customer categories. Online specialists such as Alltricks, Casal Sport, etc. target a more specific customer base and are ...

5.1 Regulation of the sportswear market

The trade and manufacture of sportswear are not subject to any particular regulations, nor are they any different from the trade and manufacture of clothing in general. In addition to the legal and tax legislation governing these activities, we can cite the following, as indicated by Crédit Agricole:

This activity does not require any particular training or diploma, although these are recommended, Registration with the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés is compulsory, Law on the modernization of the economy "The authorization threshold for the establishment and extension of commercial premises has been raised from *** m² to *,*** m². The criteria for commercial density by zone (***) have been abolished", "payment terms are limited to ** days from the invoice date", sales periods have been extended to * weeks, and commercial lease rents have been indexed to the commercial rents index

The same applies to sportswear manufacturing. In particular, it is subject to :

Prior registration with the Chambre des métiers, as this is a craft activity, Clothing composition labeling rules, in compliance with European regulation ****/**** of **/**/**** Technical/quality claims in accordance with articles L.***-* to L.***-* and/or L.***-* and ***-* of the French Consumer Code. European regulation ...

6.1 Segmentation

• Sport 2000
• Go Sport France
• Adidas
• Puma Groupe
• Quiksilver Bilabong
• Lacoste Groupe
• Le Coq Sportif (LCS International)
• Foot Locker
• Courir France
• Intersport France
• Under Armour
• Patagonia
• Lululemon Athetica
• Picture Organic Clothing
• Oakley
• Odlo
• Columbia Sports Wear
• Helly Hansen
• The North Face
• Blizzard (Tecnica)
• Nordica (Tecnica Group)
• Millet
• BasicNet Group (Superga, K-Way)
• Kappa