The surfboard market - France

The surfboard market is closely linked to the practice of this sport. The history of surfing goes back to Ancient Polynesia, where members of the royal family practiced the sport. However, it is in Hawaii that surfing has been particularly important in the culture of the population. Popularized in the early 20ᵉ century by double Olympic swimming champion Duke Kahanamoku. Over the decades, surfing has established itself as a real water sport and, above all, has spread around the world, including as far as France and its famous Cote des Basques.in 2020, surfing was added to the program of the Tokyo Summer Olympics as an additional sport, and in 2022 it was included in the list of official sports for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.in 2024, the surfing events took place in Thaiti in French Polynesia, attracting almost 13 million French viewers despite the time difference. The gold medal won by Frenchman Kauli Vaast at the Paris 2024 Olympics helped boost surfing's popularity in France. In France, for example, the number of surf club members is constantly rising. In fact, the French Surfing Federation has seen its number of members increase 2-fold in 10 years to 2022. In France, surfing is mainly practiced on the Atlantic coast and in the DROM/COM, but also in Brittany, with 300,000 surfers per year and nearly 17.5 million sales related to this industry for the region. The purchase of a surfboard is therefore the first purchase necessary for surfing. There are many different types of surfboard, depending on the sensations the surfer wants to experience and his or her level: fishs, shorboards, longboards, guns, funboards... These consumers don't hesitate to spend between 300 and 900 euros on a new or used surfboard. The energy crisis and soaring raw material prices have benefited European equipment manufacturers in the face of competition from Asia. New players have appeared on the market, such as the Bordeaux-based start-up Nomads Surfing, which is also banking on eco-responsible products that are popular with consumers in this market. The emergence of new thermal wetsuits has made it possible for surfers to practice the sport all year round, in colder waters, thus indirectly boosting the surfboard market and creating smoother consumption over the course of a year. Finally, as part of the drive to make surfing an inclusive sport accessible to all, active surf clubs are developing initiation and practice programs for handi-surfers, thereby boosting the industry.