SIA The Intelligent Partner - Summer 2007 - (Page 14)

| SIA reports that in 2006/07, apparel sales outsold equipment sales by $59 million. Last season, equipment outsold apparel by $39 million. | such as the Lib Tech Skate Banana snowboard will have a similarly positive impact on snowboard sales in the coming year. That’s because as a category, snowboard equipment fell 10 percent in units and 13 percent in dollars last season. Snowboards themselves were off 8 percent in units and 13 percent in dollars, while snowboard boots saw the biggest decline, dropping a whopping 17 percent in dollars on a 12 percent unit shortfall. One bright spot was all mountain boards, which rocketed up an amazing 24 percent in units and 31 percent in dollars. It was the only snowboard category to show an increase over the previous year. All mountain boards accounted for 14 percent of all snowboard dollars sold, up from 9 percent in 200506, as freestyle boards fell 10 percent in both units and dollars and freeride boards slipped from 39 percent to 32 percent of all snowboard sales. Potential areas of growth for the coming season could include new topsheet technology in snowboards, new lacing and warmer, female-friendly boots, as well as an emphasis on a new generation of environmentally friendly gear. “I know last season was a hard one overall, but Arbor continues to see growth in all regions, said Bob Carlson, presi” dent of Arbor. “I think a lot of that has to do with the distinction of the brand, and the fact that we’ve basically been green for the past 12 years. It seems that the younger the consumer is, the greener they are. And the more important it is to them to know things like how you build your boards and where you source your topsheets and cores. ” APPAREL IS SPECIALTY’S NEW SALES KING Across the board, apparel is the undisputed new champion of specialty sales. Absolutely robust returns in insulated parkas, which gained 19 percent in units and 21 percent in dollars, softshells, which soared 33 percent in units and 22 percent in dollars, and vests, which jumped 19 percent in both units and dollars, proved that you can still sell coats without snow. Fleece tops alone rocketed up 34 percent in units to ﬁnish the season with $94 million in sales. And while juniors were staying away from hard goods, junior insulated parkas grew 12 percent in units and 18 percent in dollars. 14333050_SkiKare.indd . P . | SIA | T.I 1 | SUMMER 2007 6/18/07 8:58:01 AM http://www.skikare.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SIA The Intelligent Partner - Summer 2007

Contents Word off the Slopes SIA Staff Contributors SIA Business SIA Board of Directors Greening the Biz Want Instant Success? Just Add Snow Out and About Day in the Life – Supplier Day in the Life – Retailer Day in the Life – Rep Products & Services Index to Advertisers

SIA The Intelligent Partner - Summer 2007

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