New trade data released by the European Outdoor Group reveals growth in 2022

·       State of Trade (sell-in) project has been reset, removing data from Russia and reflecting significant new contributors

·       New figures indicate year on year growth in 2022 - European outdoor market’s wholesale value was over €6bn

·       Project underway to refine State of Trade  and align with new Outdoor Market Intelligence Service sell-through initiative

The European Outdoor Group (EOG) has released new data from its State of Trade (SoT) market research programme, indicating growth in sell-in value and volume across all categories during 2022. Figures for the year have been published following some notable updates to the project as a result of two major developments. Data from theRussian market has been removed from  SoT for both 2021 and 2022. Meanwhile, significant new contributors to the programme have allowed the EOG to make a more accurate assessment of the full market size, reducing the reliance on a gap analysis and estimates. Figures for2021 have been revised down, though they still showed growth, and the new value total for 2022 of €6.1bn represents a year on year change in value of +11.5%.The volume of units sold increased by 6.31% to almost 265 million.

The EOG State ofTrade report covers products sold by over 100 outdoor companies in Europe in the apparel, footwear and hardware markets, and also includes outdoor sell-in figures from multisport/lifestyle brands. It is well-established as Europe’s premier market data programme for the outdoor sector. The EOG is now preparing for the next phase of its wider market insights activity and has confirmed plans to refine SoT and better align it with sell-through data projects. Primarily, it will be presented alongside the new Outdoor Market Intelligence Service(OMIS), which has been developed in partnership with Sporting Insights and will go live in early July, following a successful pilot in the UK. OMIS will deliver detailed, up to date market, category and channel level sell-through data to all contributors, and SKU-level retail sell-through data, with additional filters and market share comparisons, to subscribers. Combined, State of Trade and the Outdoor Market Intelligence Service will constitute the European outdoor sector’s most comprehensive market data and insights programme ever.

Arne Strate, EOG General Secretary, comments:

“The EOG’s market insights programme is a cornerstone of both what we offer to our members, and how we represent and advocate for the whole sector. Year on year, we have expanded, enhanced and then refined what we do. State of Trade has always been at the heart of that, but we need to align it with real time, accurate sell-through data, to better serve our members and also give us the collateral that we require for our public affairs work, and to inform our own longer term priorities.

“The latest State ofTrade figures once again demonstrate the resilience and appeal of the outdoor sector, but we’re even more encouraged by the very successful pilot that we completed in the UK for the new Outdoor Market Intelligence Service. This demonstrated its enormous potential, and now we are excited to launch it publicly and we aim to roll it out across Europe. To do that effectively, we need more companies to get involved and derive maximum benefit from either contributing or subscribing, or both. I urge any retailer or brand with a retail platform to get in touch with our team if they’d like to find out more.”

STATE OF TRADE 2022

In 2022, the total wholesale value of every product category covered by State of Trade was €6.1bn. External factors, including the removal of an entire market (Russia) and the addition of significant new data contributors such as Decathlon, have had a meaningful impact on some of the underlying assumptions made during the data analysis. After figures for 2021 were adjusted as a result of these factors, the 2022 figure represents a year on year change of +11.5%.

The strongest growth was recorded in footwear andaccessories, up in value by 20.40% and 19.05% respectively, but there wasgrowth in all categories, with an overall increase of 11.49% in value and 6.31%in volume. The lowest level of growth was in tents and climbing equipment.

There was growth of over 10% in value in all regions during 2022. The top three markets – Germany, France and the UK/Ireland - once again accounted for over 50% of the total value of the European outdoor sector. The individual market share of each of these barely changed.

OUTDOOR MARKET INTELLIGENCE SERVICE

The Outdoor Market Intelligence Service is scheduled to go live on 7 July. The service will deliver up to date sell-through data provided by all types of outdoor retailers (e.g. multi-door, independent, online), and brands with retail channels (brick and mortar and online). OMIS has been developed by the EOG in partnership with specialist provider Sporting Insights, which has created a platform that combines and anonymises data that is accessed via a dedicated reporting platform. All contributors to the project will be able to view data to market, category and channel level for free. A priced subscription model will allow subscribers to access more detailed SKU-level data, with additional filters and market share comparisons.

Proof of concept for OMIS was achieved through a pilot project in the UK and the EOG aspires to roll it out across Europe. To achieve that will require more contributors and the association is encouraging any company with an outdoor retail platform to get involved. To find out more, contact Scott Nelson on scott.nelson@europeanoutdoorgroup.com.