The sports goods market is growing at a slower pace

Wpis dostępny jest także w języku: polski

According to PMR’s report, the sportswear market in Poland 2018 was one of the most dynamically developing segments of the retail market in Poland. However, in 2017 an increase of only 6% was recorded. Forecasts for the following years indicate that the market will grow at a rate of 4-5% y/y. Although these are still good results, it is worth noting what is behind the slowdown in growth.

In recent years, we have observed a growing trend towards a healthy lifestyle. Streets were filled with runners and cyclists, fitness clubs and gyms were built in shopping malls, and corporations fighting for employees competed in awarding further bonuses. And although this effect has not passed away, it seems that fewer and fewer inactive people are starting to play sports. This is evidenced, for example, by the number of Multisport cards created – while in 2015 and 2016 there were more than 100,000 new users annually, in 2017 there were only less than 57,000 of them.

This does not automatically mean problems for the biggest players on the market – Decathlon, Go Sport, Martes Sport or Marketing Investment Group continue to open shops and gain market share, and Intersport, after several major changes in 2018, should again record an increase in revenue. However, a much tougher fight for the customer is to be expected within a few years.