Sport 2000, the association for retail companies with an outdoor segment, is forecasting a further increase in market volume: While the affiliated retailers achieved outdoor sales of EUR 929 million in 2021, it was around EUR 388 million in the first five months of the year million euros with an increase of 26.4 percent compared to the same period last year. The outdoor share of the total Sport 2000 turnover rose from 22 percent in 2019 to 34 percent currently.
“Outdoor as a megatrend continues unabated. The Corona experience has further increased the desire for outdoor experiences among consumers. The positive development in the outdoor area is therefore partly a direct result of the corona pandemic with changed consumer behavior and newcomers to the outdoors,” explains Sport 2000 Managing Director Dominik Solleder at OutDoor by Ispo in Munich.
While more than 400 Sport 2000 partners currently have outdoor in their range, 206 of them have specialized in the outdoor category. There are clear concepts for these. While the profiling of the specialists is clear and easily recognizable due to the focus on one range, this is a greater challenge for the group of generalists, according to the association.
“This is where our OutdoorClub concept comes in. With this we develop the partners with several categories into a unit of focused multi-category dealers. In essence, it is about emphasizing the excellence of the companies, enhancing the shopping experience and forming an attractive group of outdoor retailers that can campaign against the industry. In this way we create advantages and desires for everyone involved: our trade and industry partners as well as for consumers,” says Sport 2000 Managing Director Margit Gosau.
Around 60 dealers are currently part of the Sport 2000 OutdoorClub. For Gosau it is important that the orientations of the partners respond to the interests and needs of the consumers. “It is therefore essential to clearly express what you stand for and what added value you have to offer. There is no getting around the clear profiling and positioning – we cannot emphasize that often enough,” confirms Gosau.