The sporting goods industry, clothing and equipment for professionals and amateurs, has achieved a turnover of 13 billion euros. The Sport Industry thus overcame the doldrums of the pandemic by registering an increase of more than 15% in 2021 compared to 2020, and maintaining this momentum, in 2022, according to Cerved forecasts, a growth rate should be recorded in the final balance higher than the national benchmark (4.77% against 3.06%).
The data was provided by Assosport, the National Association of sporting goods manufacturers – which includes over 130 companies in Italy, 300 brands and 12,000 employees – during the annual General Assembly held in Verona last week.
Exports
The sector has once again been driven by exports. In the last two years, exports of Italian sports products, net of the critical issues connected to the supply node, have started to run again with +18.5% in 2021 compared to 2020 and +8.2% in the first nine months of 2022 compared to same period of 2021, for a total value that in September was around 4.5 billion. The main outlet market remains the USA, followed by France, Germany, Switzerland and Spain.
The return of winter sports
On the national territory, the pandemic has also had a significant impact in positive terms, as the health emergency has prompted many Italians to rediscover the practice of sport, with an increase in the sales of dedicated clothing and accessories. 2021, for example, was the year of the outdoors, a trend that continued in 2022 which in turn marked the return of winter sports in style, heavily penalized during the lockdown. 2022, as reported in the Assosport report, has in fact consecrated padel by transforming it into a customary phenomenon, so much so that, according to an Observatory conducted by Banca Ifis with the support of Assosport, the Italians who practice it would be around one million (+ 500% on 2019) for an estimated number of fields over 6000, located throughout the national territory.
Tennis performances were also positive with 3.1 million practitioners, the cycling sector was stable, while swimming pools and gyms that suffered a lot between 2020 and 2021, in 2022 began their recovery path weighed down by high bills.