A sporting goods retailer or sporting goods store is a retail business selling sporting and recreational goods, including

sportswear Sportswear or activewear is athletic clothing, including footwear, worn for sports activity or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Typical spor ...

sporting equipment Sports equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear, which varies in shapes, size, and usage in a particular sport. It includes balls, nets, rackets, protective gears like helmets, goggles, etc. Since the ...

and related general merchandise.

History

Decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of 10 track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...

, the world's largest sporting good retail chain, opened its first store in

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

, France, in 1976. It now has about 1700 stores in 60 countries and territories. The sector contracted globally in 2007 and 2008, due to the loss of

disposable income Disposable income is total personal income minus current taxes on income. In national accounting, personal income minus personal current taxes equals disposable personal income or household disposable income. Subtracting personal outlays ( ...

during the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

. The sector contacted again in 2020, outside China, due to restrictions on outdoor and team sports during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Many brands, retailers, and manufacturers failed to return a profit, and many households reduced physical activity due to reduced

. However, demand for sportwear and indoor fitness equipment remained high. The sector experienced significant growth in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. In 2021,

McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...

identified a shift away from conventional

bricks and mortar Bricks and Mortar (foaled March 2, 2014) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was named the American Horse of the Year in 2019. After winning four of six starts at age three, he missed most of his four-year-old campaign due to illness. At a ...

retail to

online shops Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of the ...

requiring more agile supply chains and experiential retail offering unique experiences. In the United States,

Dick's Sporting Goods Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. (stylized in all caps as DICK'S Sporting Goods) is an American chain of sporting goods stores founded in 1948 by Richard "Dick" Stack. It is the largest sporting goods retailer in the United States and is listed ...

began trialling concept stores with specialties, or in-store experiences like golf putting green, wellness experts, yoga classes, rock climbing, batting cages, and equipment repair services. In the same report, McKinsey & Company also identified a strong market for sportswear, which was becoming both more lucrative and more competitive. This was partly due to the blurring of lines between

active wear Sportswear or activewear is athletic clothing, including footwear, worn for sports activity or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Typical spor ...

and

casual wear Casual wear (or casual attire or clothing) is a Western dress code that is relaxed, occasional, spontaneous and suited for everyday use. Casual wear became popular in the Western world following the counterculture of the 1960s. When emphasisi ...

. Also in 2021,

Mintel Mintel Group Ltd is a global, privately owned market research firm based in London, UK. Mintel databases, analysis, and forecasts are accessible to subscribing clients, those who purchase standalone reports, and to students in participating ...

has identified three potential growth areas: women's sporting goods; men's sportswear; and the marketing of premium brands, particularly to parents. In 2022, research in the United States found consumers were planning to spend less at sporting goods retailers due to rising

costs of living The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Changes in the cost of living over time can be measured in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare t ...

and other prices.

By market

Australia

Prominent Sporting goods retailers in the Australia include

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Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large boas of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are a semiaquatic group of snakes found in tropical South America. Three to five extant and one extinct species are currently recognized, including one of the l ...

Boating Camping and Fishing BCF or Boating Camping and Fishing is an Australian chain of retail stores selling a wide range of outdoor clothing and equipment. It is a subsidiary of Super Retail Group. The company is the largest outdoor retailer in the Australia with ove ...

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

Macpac Macpac is a New Zealand based brand specialising in outdoor recreational equipment. It is best known for camping and travel equipment including backpacks, sleeping bags and technical clothing. Macpac was originally a New Zealand company but is ...

Mountain Designs Mountain Designs is an outdoor clothing and equipment business based in Australia. They sell hiking, rockclimbing and general outdoor and recreational equipment. The company stocks a variety of international and local brands, as well as their ...

Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

and Snowys Outdoors.

China

In China, the sector expanded at an average rate of 16.5% a year from 2015 to 2019. The sector continued to grow in the Chinese market during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to increased physical activity by the country's growing middle class.

United States

In the United States,

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

and

are the largest sporting goods retailers. Walmart recorded $9.8 billion in sporting goods revenue in 2015; Dick's recorded $6.9 billion in revenue.

By sports

Golf

Prominent golf equipment retailers in the United States include

Worldwide Golf Shops Worldwide may refer to: * Pertaining to the entire world * Worldwide (rapper) (born 1986), American rapper * Pitbull (rapper) (born 1981), also known as Mr. Worldwide, American rapper * ''Worldwide'' (Audio Adrenaline album), 2003 * ''Worldwide' ...

, Edwin Watts Golf, Golf Galaxy, PGA Tour Superstore, and Rock Bottom Golf.