The French like to bicycle. They also like to swim, hike and play pétanque (bowls). Like most of the OECD, the French are practicing more sport as they enjoy greater leisure time and are more aware of health and fitness. The market is enjoying average growth of 5% per annum. Yet French households are still a long way from their British counterparts who spend nearly 50% more on sporting goods and services.
The French spend over €27Bn a year on sports, nearly 2% of their GDP. Households are the single largest contributor, accounting for half of the spending, while the State makes up 41% and the corporate spend represents just 9%, but is seeing the highest growth at +15% per annum.
In 2003, over 34M French say they practice a sport regularly. 18 million of which said they bicycled, whether they actually did or not, they spent money on the sport. Other popular sports included: swimming (14M), hiking (12.6M), bowls and billiards (10.6M), jogging (8M) and skiing (7M).
The average French household spends 1.6% of its budget on sports. This compares to 2.8% of the average British household. In France, roughly 40% is spent on “services” such as clubs or sporting events.
The latter is the fastest growing activity within the sector. The remaining 60% is spent on equipment.
Household expenditure on sporting goods
€ Bn
1995
2000
2002
Sports clothing
1.37
1.55
1.59
Sports footwear
1.54
1.65
1.83
Equipment
3.57
4.05
4.17
Sports press
0.17
0.18
0.18
Services
3.8
4.82
5.5
Total
10.45
12.25
13.27
Only about a third of the sports shoes and half of the sports clothes sold are actually used for sports. The under-25 year olds are the biggest consumer group, buying up 40% of sports clothes although they accounted for just 20% of sports practitioners. Inversely, the 45+ age group represented 40% of sport practitioner but bought just 17% of sports clothes.
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The French like to bicycle. They also like to swim, hike and play pétanque (bowls). Like most of the OECD, the French are practicing more sport as they enjoy greater leisure time and are more aware of health and fitness. The market is enjoying average growth of 5% per annum. Yet French households are still a long way from their British counterparts who spend nearly 50% more on sporting goods and services.