Outdoor industry retailers finished the 2010 fiscal year with stronger-than-expected sales that were up 4 percent over 2009.
Sales in the fiscal year that ended Jan. 29 totaled $10.85 billion, up from $10.4 billion a year earlier. Outdoor specialty outlets did better than the overall industry, with a 7.3 percent annual increase to $2.95 billion, according to the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), the largest player in the Outdoor Retail trade shows that are staged twice annually in Salt Lake City. The summer and winter trade shows contribute $34 million a year to Utah's economy.
"Some of the marketplace apprehension seems to be lifting as we enter 2011," said LaRae Marsik, OIA's vice president of business intelligence. "Consumers are spending more optimistically, and mother nature is making quality outdoor products a wise and timely investment."
Data collected for OIA by SportScanInfo showed that:
Footwear sales • grew 1.9 percent to $2.1 billion;
Apparel sales • rose 3.8 percent to $3.7 billion;
Hardgoods sales • went up 18 percent to $5 billion.
Information is based on point-of-sale data from more than 10,000 retail shops and websites, including 350 specialty companies.
