June Outdoor Product Sales Growth Accelerates

Sales of outdoor products look to be picking up steam this summer as sales of outdoor footwear, apparel and hardgoods increased 6.8 percent to $1.18 billion in the five-week fiscal month of June, according to the latest figures from OIA. The growth trend for the month represented an acceleration from the low-single-digit trend seen in the fiscal year-to-date period through May, according to retail point-of-sale data. Fiscal year-to-date sales through June reached $4.37 billion, up 2.7 percent compared with the comparable period last year.

“The surge in outdoor product sales runs counter to the broader shift some analysts saw in preliminary estimates of June retail sales released by the U.S. Census Bureau,” observed James Hartford, CEO and Chief Market Analyst at The SportsOneSource Group, which manages the OIA VantagePoint trend reporting platform.  ”Historically, the outdoor industry sees less negative impact from the influences that hinder growth in the discount and general merchandise markets such as stagnant wages and higher fuel and food prices.”

Outdoor Apparel sales increased 9.3 percent to $27.7 million in the five-week fiscal month ended July 5, 2014, driven by stellar results in the sportswear and outerwear categories. The trend was nearly double the mid-single-digit increase for outdoor apparel seen in the fiscal year-to-date period through May, says OIA.  For the second time, apparel average selling prices (ASPs) grew the most in the specialty Internet channel in fiscal June, increasing by more than 33 percent. Average selling prices were up nearly 10 percent in the iIndependent outdoor specialty channel.

Year-over-year sales of outdoor hardgoods increased 7.6 percent to $635.4 million in the five-week period, continuing the strong sales growth seen in April and May. Hardgoods sales increased 4.3 percent during the week of Independence Day, following a 7.9 percent increase in the comparable week last year. The strong performance bodes well for outdoor specialty retailers, given that the fiscal month leading up to the Independence Day period has historically been the second-highest month for outdoor hardgoods sales, says OIA.

Outdoor Footwear sales also picked up steam in Fiscal June after turning positive in May. Sales increased 3.3 percent to $274.8 million in Fiscal June. The increase for Fiscal June was the largest monthly increase for outdoor footwear since March 2013, and was only the third sales increase for the category since August 2012.

The Internet garnered 15.6 percent of outdoor product sales in fiscal June, up from 14.1 percent in May 2013, but down from the 19.4 percent share in the four-month year-to-date period through May. Internet represented 9.1 percent of outdoor footwear sales in fiscal June versus 8.7 percent a year ago, and 24.4 percent of outdoor apparel sales compared with 21.4 percent in Fiscal June 2013.