Consumers paid more for athletic shoes in 1996, but bought fewer pairs, overall sales up slightly.

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 11, 1997--

"Rugged Outdoor," hot look of the '90s, cooled off

Americans bought fewer pairs of athletic footwear in 1996, but paid more for each pair, according to a national survey that has tracked sneaker buying since 1982.

As a result, overall spending by consumers for athletic shoes in 1996 rose 1.6%, to $12.1 billion from $11.9 billion in 1995. Pairs bought dropped 8% to 340.3 million from 369.6 million.

"Consumers, particularly males, were more willing to seek out brand names and performance features in athletic footwear this year," said Gregg Hartley, executive director of the Athletic Footwear Association, which announced the findings.

The survey was conducted by Footwear Market Insights, Nashville, which sends questionnaires to 25,000 households every four months.

FMI reported that the average spent for a woman's athletic shoe was $33.38 in 1996, 5% more than the $31.70 spent the previous year. The average men's athletic shoe cost $47.35 in 1996, up almost 10% from $43.23 in 1995. Thus, the average spent for adult athletic styles in 1996 was $33.47, 9% higher than 1995 ($32.53).

Sales of men's athletic shoes declined 5%, to 120.1 million pairs in 1996 from 126.7 million in 1995. Dollar sales remained stable at $5.9 billion. Women's pairs declined 16% to 135.3 million from 161.8 million. But dollars spent slipped only 2%, to $4.4 billion from $4.5 billion. Pairs of children's shoes gained 5%, to 84.9 million from 81.1 million. Dollar sales in this category rose 20%, to $1.8 billion from $1.5 billion.

Outdoor Look Cools Off

The hot footwear fashion of the early 1990s, rugged outdoor shoes and boots, cooled off last year. Sales of pairs of hiking, hunting and fishing boots fell 28%, to 28.9 million pairs from 40.4 million in 1995. Only 14.1 million pairs were sold in 1992. Total spent for these boots in 1996 was $1.27 billion, down 12% from $1.44 billion in 1995.

Sports sandals continued to grow in popularity, as sales of pairs increased 33% to 14.8 million in 1996, from 11.1 million the year before. Dollars spent rose to $403 million from $266 million.

Outdoor shoes and sports sandals are classified separately from athletic footwear in the survey, conducted by Footwear Market Insights, Nashville. However, many athletic footwear manufacturers make these styles.

Note to editors: FMI made several changes in its survey procedures beginning in 1996. Historical data for the years 1992 - 1995 have been recalculated to conform with the new methodology. The most significant change was the creation of a new, expanded questionnaire which allows the collection of more detailed information, including sales of cleated and studded shoes. In addition, FMI is now better able to sample and report results from African-American and Hispanic buyers.

FMI mails a four-page questionnaire to 25,000 households every four months. The response rate is 62%. The sample is balanced to reflect the population as a whole. The FMI data are reliable by +/- 0.2% at the 95% confidence level.

The Athletic Footwear Association is composed of about 140 companies that market or distribute athletic footwear. It is part of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. For more on athletic footwear, go to the SGMA Website:

http://www.sportlink.com

CONTACT: Gregg Hartley

[phone]

or

Dan Kellams

[phone]