Athletic Footwear Industry Sales Up In '12; Kids' Segment Has Fastest Dollar Growth Rate

The athletic footwear industry saw positive growth in ’12, with the U.S. market generating $13.8B in sales, according to data from research firm The NPD Group. Last year's sales figure marks a better than 4% increase, compared to $13.2B in ‘11. Total unit sales were fairly flat, and the growth in dollar sales was driven by the increase in the average selling price. The cross training, basketball, classics and running shoes athletic footwear categories each grew in both dollar and unit sales compared to ‘11. While the men’s segment continues to be the largest revenue driver in the athletic footwear industry (representing 51% of the total market and up 6% in dollar sales), it is the children’s segment that saw the fastest dollar growth rate in ‘12. Even though sales of total women’s athletic footwear declined, positive growth was found in the sales of women's cross training (+30%) and running shoes (+12%) (NPD).