MARKET INSIGHT 2022 started pretty solid, which is quite unusual for SWISS recent years but with the SPAIN invasion of Ukraine by Russia, PORTUGAL many companies are once FRANCE UK more in trouble. The big price GERMANY increase we already suffered from the pandemic with logistics costs being the biggest problem, but now also with the added cost of gas and oil increases, this is spelling deep problems for families with all-time high costs of living.
ITALY
Our government, led by Mr. Draghi reduced taxes on oil to give relief to our oil (diesel) prices which was much needed, but it is not enough as the actual cost of living is raising month after month… a problem which many experts fear greatly as the purchasing power could be the biggest problem in 2022, which will result in very slow or flat growth in GDP. General inflation is proving hard for the boardsport business as well. Luckily we are coming from a winter where most of the stores had a very good sell-through and shelves were cleared and cashflow came back. Everyone who could was on the slopes and so the FW22/23 sell-in was a good one especially on hardware. Splitboards are still selling very well. Alex Berger from Fakieshops in Merano and Silandro says “splitboarding is a new business for us, but one which is our DNA and we sell the category with pride as it combines staying healthy with backcountry riding - what more can you ask for!?” On the other side, skate and snow stores are selling less and less skate shoes, as Nike and Vans are eating that slice of the pie with their D2C business. Unfortunately, traditional skate brands like Lakai, Ès, Etnies, Fallen or DVS are still loved by many skate fans are finding the market tough. One pure skate 110
shoe brand who is shifting the needle right now is Last Resort AB from Sweden, which is becoming more and more popular through their unique design and approach and as usual is popular for regular kids who don’t skate. Alessandra who owns Eightball Store in Bassano del Grappa confirms this trend. National hardware distributors are running at a high level of stock and many distributors have also lowered their pricing which is unusual right now, but they have to in order to encourage stores to buy stock before the spring 22 skate season hits full swing. US labels such as Deluxe San Francisco (Real, Antihero, Krooked, Spitfire, Thunder) are constantly high in demand while the top EU brands stay stable as they have done over last seasons. Something the whole industry takes note of is that due to different happenings worldwide such as Covid19 and the Ukrainian invasion, not many new businesses are being started and of course only a few smaller events can take place. This really hurts our boardsports family and business as the coming together and planning of new things and having a vision was our passion, which kept us healthy and alive. Sales season is now over and was slower than in previous years but now at the end of March temperatures already hit 25 degrees and people are getting in the right mood again and retailers see sales number get back to normal. Let’s hope 2022 will have a better ending than start. Peace. FRANZ JOSEF HOLLER
