The ski equipment market - France

The ski equipment market can be viewed in two ways: one encompassing "soft goods" (clothing and accessories) and the other focusing exclusively on ski equipment. Soft goods" include various items such as wetsuits, jackets, pants, gloves, underlays, ski bags, etc., while ski equipment stricto sensu includes skis/snowboards, poles, bindings, boots, helmets, goggles and other specific accessories. On a global scale, the market is predominantly European, with Austria and France having a particularly strong presence in the manufacture of ski equipment. In the highly concentrated French market, players such as Rossignol, Salomon, Dynastar and Fusalp are emerging as major producers, accompanied byAtomic, Head and Blizzard on the Austrian side. These brands have seen a notable increase in sales in recent years, with average annual growth of 8% since 2019. This booming sector, boosted by the end of the pandemic, is opening up further to a diversified customer base, thanks in particular to rental and the booming second-hand market. By 2023, the number of skier-days sold in France had risen to 51 million, indicating a significant recovery on previous years, despite the challenges encountered. Distribution channels are varied, targeting both buyers and renters. The major sports brands (Intersport, Sport 2000), specialized ski sales/rental companies (Skiset, Skimium) and online sites/platforms (Snowleader, Glisshop) are all vying to conquer market share in the most competitive markets.market share, in a context marked by the emergence of start-ups focused on the second-hand market (Campsider, Barooder, Everide). Upstream, pressure from the supply of raw materials is making itself felt, while the upmarket positioning of traditional players and the breakthrough of low-cost players (Campsider, Barooder, Everide) are making themselves felt.e of low-cost players (Decathlon with Wed'Ze) accentuate the duality of the offer between high-quality products for sale and affordable equipment for rental.