Sportswear in Western Europe saw a marked decline in sales in 2020, when Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions negatively impacted the overall apparel and footwear market. However, a strong rebound was seen in 2021, with further positive growth expected over the forecast period. Further development of digital capabilities, increasing concerns about the sustainability of the overall industry and health and wellness will be among the trends shaping sportswear in the coming years.
This report comes in PPT.
Athleisure is a major trend in many countries, with the comfort and sought-after styles offered by major sportswear brands such as adidas and Nike increasingly worn in consumers’ daily lives. Home seclusion during the pandemic, including remote working, further supported this trend, expanding sportswear’s reach among the adult population, who were prioritising convenience over appearance. The relatively strong performance of sportswear during the pandemic means that this category is also being increasingly penetrated by general apparel brands, rather than just sportswear specialists.
adidas is committed to reducing and ultimately ending plastic waste through innovative solutions and partnerships through its Three Loop Strategy. It is also working to remove all virgin polyester from its products by 2024 and to reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 30% by 2030, as well as maintaining a goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
Sportswear is marked by a high penetration of e-commerce in Germany (42% 2021 share), with further growth expected over the forecast period. The pandemic significantly boosted sales in 2020 when non-essential stores were closed, especially sports goods stores. While digital fashion platforms such as Zalando have contributed historically to this growth, in the future, traditional bricks-and-mortar players are expected to further boost e-commerce growth.
While growth will still be elevated in 2022, continuing to recover the ground lost during 2020, annual growth rates are expected to slow from 2023, standing at around 1-2% a year until the end of the forecast period. Health and wellbeing will continue to be important for consumers, so that participating in sport or taking exercise will increasingly appeal, supporting demand for the appropriate apparel and footwear, in addition to sportswear’s popularity as a fashion item or comfortable casualwear option.
Apparel is the aggregation of clothing and footwear. This dataset covers retail sales of apparel through both store-based retailers and non-store retailers. Excludes black market sales (i.e. untaxed, generated within informal retailing)and duty free sales (travel retail). Items must be new when sold to the consumer; second-hand/used items are excluded. Antique and/or vintage clothing and footwear is also excluded.
See All of Our DefinitionsIf you purchase a report that is updated in the next 60 days, we will send you the new edition and data extraction Free!