The last decade has been a turning point for the athletic retail market. The trend of consumers embracing premium products and lifestyle brands continues in the athletic apparel and footwear market. Fitness activities such as golf, aerobics and biking are fueling the market. However, the majority of spending on athletic apparel and footwear is not intended for athletic activities, but for comfort and fashion.

Consolidation activity is going on both at specialty retailer and manufacturer level, to realize economies of scale and to better compete with mass merchants and discounters. The wave of brand acquisitions over the past few years has led to some of the most renowned brands in the market becoming subsidiaries of their competitors.

The report begins with a discussion of the athletic apparel and footwear market and then goes on to analyze the worldwide and the US market. The report profiles the major athletic goods retailers, focusing in-depth on their business strategies. It also analyzes the major trends prevalent in the athletic market.