MILAN – The pandemic that forced us into the house has also imposed a hard stop on sports clothing and footwear, with some sports such as skiing, often completely cut off from prolonged lockdowns. However, looking at the data for the first quarter and the requests on social media and on the search engines of sportswear brands, 2021 will be a year of significant growth for everyone, where some brands more than others are favored to intercept new trends.
The brands – On Instagram Nike has 136.1 million followers, Adidas 25.9 million and Puma 11.7 million (but with higher engagement than the 2 rival giants). On Baidu, the largest Chinese search engine (50% of the online market) of foreign brands other than Li Ning and Anta, Nike is the most popular brand and Adidas the one that recorded the greatest blow after the boycott for the controversy over cotton and Uyghur workers.
For all these reasons, Citigroup values Nike as attractive up to the target price of 140 dollars per share, Adidas up to 290 euros. More prudent Jp morgan which has a neutral opinion on Adidas (and a target of 280 euros) and Deutsche bank (for which Adidas is hold with a target of 280 euros) which also considers Puma hold (with a price target of 80 euros per share ), up 40% on the Chinese market and very popular among the female audience.
Italy – According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers (Pwc), in 2020 retail sales of sportswear in Italy decreased by 16% to € 5.4 billion, levels not seen for over 10 years. However, for Pwc in 2023, turnover will rise to 6.3 billion, so much so that in the next 5 years the sector should increase on average by 4% per year. Only in 2025 (when a turnover of over 6.6 billion is estimated) will it be back above the levels of 2019 also thanks to the boost of e-commerce. Online sales, which in 2019 represented 7.6% of the total, jumped to 11.1% in 2020, and should continue to grow. Shoes, as always, represent a good part of the pie (2.22 billion or 41.3% of the total) and will grow at a faster rate than sportswear. In Italy, the most present brands are Nike (14.4%), Adidas (13.2%), Decathlon (7.1%), Puma (3.9%) and Kappa (3.5%).
The world – In the USA, the first market in the world, in 2020 sales fell by 20%, to 101.3 billion dollars and are expected to grow by 8% per year reaching 147.1 billion in 2025. In China, however, it is expected the biggest jump (+ 14% 94 billion dollars). In the world in 2025, sportswear sales will rise on average at rates of over 5% from 260 to 400 billion dollars.
The movement – According to Istat, before the pandemic 18 million Italians trained during the day, a number that is destined to rise given the change in lifestyle and greater attention to the health of the younger generations and the post Covid-19 effect. Last year Nike launched a #madetoplay project in collaboration with a non-profit organization to promote women’s participation in Italian sport.
Women and trends – According to Pwc, women are a growing target and on which all the brands in the sector are focusing, among women the most popular brand is Puma (2.9%), followed by Adidas (2.4%), Nike (1, 7%), Skechers (1.3%) and Lp Sport (1.2%). The trends of the future, in addition to the diffusion among the pink quotas, are digital, sustainability, the niches of some segments and sports luxury (+ 227%) with high-end brands starting to produce sneakers and casual wear, including collaborations between Gucci and North Face, Comme des Garços and Salomon, Dior and Fendi for skis and Moncler with Genius.
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