Intersport International Corporation (IIC), the international umbrella organization of national intersport associations based in Switzerland, closed 2023 with global retail sales of 13.7 billion euros. Although this did not result in growth, it was able to achieve exactly the record result of the previous year, emphasizes the association and points out the generally challenging business environment in the sports retail sector. While 2023 started with a strong first quarter, the combination of the difficult economic and geopolitical climate, ongoing challenges in the supply chain, high inventories and rising operating costs weakened the economy in sports retail.
Nevertheless, some countries were able to achieve exceptional growth. Countries such as France, Greece, Ireland and the entire Central and Eastern European region have achieved robust double-digit growth.
Sales growth in shoes and hardware was particularly positive. In contrast, sales in the clothing sector fell. The situation in stationary retail has also developed positively, as it has been noted that consumers are increasingly shopping in stationary stores again.
The association is optimistic about the current year, especially because of the many major sporting events. Steve Evers, CEO of IIC: “Despite the difficult climate, we expect a dynamic and successful year for our Intersport banner in view of the major events in 2024, i.e. the European Football Championship in Germany and the Olympic Games in France, where we have flagship stores want to open in the center of Paris. We are very optimistic that we can take advantage of these opportunities and achieve strong growth again.”