Sales growth of running shoes "shifted last year away from high-performance technical shoes designed for athletes in favor of cheaper models aimed at casual wear, a move that is altering the economics of the largest athletic-footwear market," according to Sara Germano of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. SportsOneSource data shows that sales of running shoes priced above $125 -- mostly performance-focused models -- "fell 18% for the year ended April 11, while sales of running shoes under $125 -- including most fashion-focused pairs -- rose 8% over the same period." Consequently, the market is "becoming a numbers game, with volumes of casual lines doing more to drive sales than higher prices from performance shoes." SportsOneSource data shows that running is the "largest U.S. athletic footwear category by retail sales and grew 3.5%" to just over $6B in '14. Shoppers now are "turning to lower-priced models that are more sporty looking than sport-specific in such numbers that it is prompting manufacturers" such as adidas to rejigger their lineups and retailers such as Finish Line to "make room for more fashion fare" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/17).
