Russians buying more sportswear

Russia is currently going through a fitness boom which is leading to multibrand sporting goods retail chains taking a hold on the sporting goods market in Russia.

In a recent survey up to 50 % of Russian participate in a sporting activity once per week, with 18% taking part in sports with 3 or more times per week these figures are the highest ever reported in Russia, with these figures it represents a 100% increase in 10 years. The largest up take group in the new healthier lifestyle in Russia is the 18 -30 age group and this group is the largest purchaser of sportswear.

Working out at Fitness gyms and cycling are the most popular sports activities in the urban environment, outside the cities then outdoor sports such as running, cross skiing, hiking and open water swimming are more popular. 

Any visitor to Russia will notice that with in the younger generation sports casualwear/ athleisure clothing is the most popular choice, with this trend expected to continue for many years. The med to higher price sportswear and footwear market is demonstrating the strongest growth increasing by 10% in 2019.

The leading retailers of sportswear online in Russia are Wildberries and Ozon and multi‑brand retailers’ brick and mortar stores Sportmaster and Decathlon. Outside big Russian cities then buying sportswear from Supermarkets is popular. The spread of multi-channel sportswear retail outlets has seen leading sportswear brand reducing the amount of its dedicated brand stores in the Russian market. One global brand North Face is bucking this trend by launching its first own‑brand store in 2020 in Russia opening its doors in St Petersburg's Gallery Mall offering North Face's branded range of clothing, footwear and high‑tech accessories for men, women and children from a 160‑square‑metre dedicated sales point.

Russia’s growth in sportswear offers great opportunities for sportswear and footwear brands as well as oem manufactures with multi-channel retailers expected to increase their own‑label offerings.  

Russian sportswear retailers are expected to target neighbour counties as they are well placed to develop their business in such countries as Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Russia's largest and Europe's third‑largest sporting‑goods chain Sportmaster has recently purchased from Go Sport its outlets in Poland which further demonstrates the company’s ambitions.