27 Nov October Athletic Footwear Overview
October Athletic Footwear Overview
October is one of the smallest and least important months of the year for athletic footwear sales in the U.S. For the most part, October is a clearance month, cleaning up after back-to-school and transitioning to the holiday season.
October 2017 was extraordinary in terms of the depth and breadth of promotions. Sales were also influenced by the record warm weather and recovery from hurricane damage.
Athletic footwear sales for the month grew 6 percent in dollars and 7 percent in unit sales, with a 1 percent decline in average selling price to reflect the promotional environment.
By Wearer
Sales gains were seen across the board, with men’s athletic footwear +6 percent in dollars, women’s +4 percent, and kids +9 percent.
By Category
The record warmth took its toll on cold weather footwear. Cold/all weather boot sales declined by more than 20 percent, and hiking/trekking sales were down 9 percent. We are already seeing boots on promotion in the market.
The performance categories continue to struggle, as running, basketball and cross training footwear sales all were negative for the month, even with the heavy promotions.
Sport leisure footwear, the largest category, grew by nearly 25 percent.
By Brand
Nike had a small gain as growth in sport leisure offset a decline in running. Brand Jordan sales grew by more than 25 percent, as retro releases were moved earlier this year. Converse sales declined in the low teens.
Adidas share grew by nearly half, capturing 10 percent market share for the month. Under Armour and Skechers athletic both experienced small gains.
Brooks had a very strong month, with sales up more than 25 percent.
Vans athletic footwear sales grew in the low teens, as they have really started to heat up.
| The NPD Group’s U.S. Athletic Footwear Industry Sales | |||
| Reporting Period October 2017 versus October 2016 | |||
| Dollar Sales | Oct’16 | Oct’17 | CHG |
| Total U.S. Athletic Footwear Sales | $1.1 B | $1.2 B | 6% |
| Men | $535.2 M | $565.0 M | 6% |
| Women | $367.9 M | $382.7 M | 4% |
| Children | $210.5 M | $228.5 M | 9% |
| Brand Performance | Dollar Share | Dollar % Change | |
| October 2017 Top 5 Performance Running Footwear Brands | |||
| Nike | 40% | -14% | |
| Asics | 14% | -16% | |
| New Balance | 10% | 16% | |
| Adidas | 9% | 82% | |
| Brooks | 8% | 29% | |
| Copyright 2017. The NPD Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential. | |||
| The information in this report comes from The NPD Group’s monthly point-of-sale footwear database. It is collected from the athletic specialty, sporting goods, chain store, department store, and other channels. | |||
| Athletic footwear includes the following categories: Sport Leisure, Outdoor, Performance, and Work/Occupational/Safety. |
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For more information or to speak with Matt Powell, please contact me at 516-625-2203 or marissa.guyduy@npd.com.