Longitudes Group today announced the release of its 2013 Sporting Goods Channel Golf Market Report. With over 17% of all golf industry sales being sold through this channel, golfers and manufacturers alike are experiencing the growing influence of this channel. Previously a proprietary report for clients, the report is being released as a syndicated report to the broader golf and sporting goods marketplace.
Longitudes Group, a golf research and consulting company, has documented the market profiles of the 10 largest sporting goods retail companies. The report compares and contrasts the brands, and relates how each sporting goods chain impacts the local golf markets in which they compete. Local stores have been analyzed with radial trade areas within a 15-minute drive-time of each chain’s individual stores. Variables tracked include the number of total golfers served, golf participation rates, competitive density, share of total golfers per individual store, retail golf market value and number of stores.
National rankings are also provided for three key variables:
1. Total golfers served
2. Total golfers per store
3. Golf market value served by retail brand
Also included in this comprehensive report, is the dollarization of the key channels of distribution in the golf industry (Green grass, Off course, Sporting goods and Mass merchants) across nine different hard goods and soft goods product lines.
Since 2004 Longitudes Group has annually tracked the growth and contraction of the Golf retail market. As the importance of the Sporting Goods channel has grown for the golf industry over the last ten years, Longitudes Group has closely tracked the key chains that are intense competitors to traditional golf retailers. The Top 10 Sporting goods chains account for over 2,100 retail locations, more than double the number of Off-course golf retailers in the US market.
Key findings of the newly released research include:
- Dick’s Sporting Good market impact leads the sporting goods retailers with the most golfers served at 9.8M, or over 39% of all golfers. It also has the most stores open as of June ‘13 with 523 doors across the United States.
- The Sports Authority serves 43% of the U.S. total golf retail market value with its individual stores covering over $2.2 billion worth of the total golf retail market. Dick’s is making up ground on TSA narrowing a $500M gap in golf market value from 2011 to a differential of just over $200M this year. The opening of 72 new DSG stores, often in milder southern and western climates with more playable days for golf, is closing the gap.
- Sports Chalet has the highest number of golfers per store at 28,136. This is related to its position in densely-populated urban Southwest locations.
- Academy has the 2nd largest growth in golfers served since 2011 with a 34% increase in stores for a current total of 168 stores. It now has the ability to serve 1.6M golfers within the 15 minute trade areas.
- The most valuable product categories in the Sporting Goods channel are the Golf apparel business valued at $240M followed by Woods at $193M, both in retail dollars.
Each sporting goods brand in its trade areas face a unique mix of golf supply and demand variables indicating any number of influences that can impact the success of a chain to tap the affluent golf market.
“The Sporting Goods channel represents over 17% of all golf product sales,” stated Sara Killeen, President of Longitudes Group. “The retail shopping experience, product selection, top brands, mall locations and sharp prices make many of the regional and national chains formidable competitors for traditional golf retailers.”
The Research
Calls to retailers were conducted via Longitudes Group outbound research and call centers, based in Portland, Oregon. These phone surveys established a baseline count of stores and golf product categories carried. Retailers that had gone out of business, moved locations, or were incorrectly categorized as brick and mortar sporting goods retailers were removed from the list or updated. Additional sources were utilized such as on-line yellow page list services, in-market personal interviews with industry participants, and company websites.
The report is $1,200 per copy through Longitudes Group website. For further information on the preparation of a custom analysis please contact Sara Killeen at (503) 477-6284.
Longitudes Group, LLC, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a research and marketing company providing unique analysis on the travel and spending behaviors of avid golfers in the US and Canada. Armed with a database containing information on the behavior of 5.8 million avid golfers mapped by county and zip code, Longitudes Group uses a geo-demographic approach to probe both the location and purchase behavior of the avid golfer population. On the supply side, Longitudes Group has built the most up-to-date database of golf retailers including 16,000 golf facilities, 929 off-course retail stores and 2,100 chain sporting goods store. Canadian Market Analyses are also available. For more information, visit the company online at www.longitudesgroup.com.
Contact Info:
Sara Killeen, President
sara@longitudesgroup.com
(503) 477-6284