The Expansion of the Sport Goods Industry

The importance of sport in the European countries has increased significantly over the last decade. Sport has become more relevant economically and socially for various reasons. Social aspects include sport participation, sport for health and economic activities directly or indirectly related to sport (Breedveld et al., 2013; Dolles & Söderman, 2011). European sport policy initiatives such as the White Paper on Sport (Commission of the European Communities, 2007) or the Study on the Contribution of Sport to Economic Growth and Employment in the European Union (SportsEconAustria, 2012) show an increasing interest in sport from a political perspective. This chapter focuses on one major economic aspect of sport – the sport goods industry. It consists of three sections, a case study and conclusions. The first section gives definitions for sport, sport industry and sport goods industry. The chapter then follows the expansion of the sport goods industry in Europe over the last five years (based on MarketLine (2015a) industry reports). This expansion is analysed by comparing the market value of the sport goods industry within Europe and the US. We look at the value of trade in the European sport goods industry and also compare the sport goods industry with other sport industry segments. We then discuss the major drivers of growth in the European sport goods industry and different firm-level strategic approaches. The third section discusses Contemporary and Future Critiques. Our case study explores the expansion of a large French sport goods retailer and manufacturer. We close with reflections on the case.