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Spanish Market: Surfboards & Surfskates Top Boardsports’ “Most Popular”
Recent global events have slowed down Spain’s recuperation, but it has not halted it. Boardsports fans keep their equipment high on their list of priorities.
By Rocio Enriquez
No one said Spain’s economic recuperation would be easy, but no one thought it’d be this hard. Optimistic forecasts fuelled hope; they could not have predicted the two events that would slam the global economy. War in Ukraine and Omicron in China, though far from Spain, have a direct and dire impact on the economy. War has raised the cost of raw materials, impacting international trade and spreading uncertainty. Restrictions in China have aggravated the problems in supply chains, which will persist for most of 2022. Spain’s recuperation will not stop, but it will slow down. Government aid for energy bills and reforms in the training and labour market support an environment of growth. Good employment rates and internal spending will continue to drive it. However, the spending will lower due to uncertainty and fear of inflation.
Boardsports retailers report caution from the sales counters. Consumers had spent on new equipment quite boldly. The recent events and resulting inflation have promoted careful spending. Spending there is, though. Boardsports keep their appeal as individual outdoor activities that avert infections. They also require no energy but the athlete’s stamina and the wind, waves, or snow that nature provides. “Part of these new consumers have consolidated their presence”, says Guillermo Colomer from PlayGop Distribution.
Surf leads the popularity trend, followed closely by most other boardsports. Sales of surfskates skyrocketed. It’s a fun way to improve one’s surfing, and does not depend on waves, or even on proximity to the coast. Sales in water boardsports have been good throughout the winter. Stores are quite excited about the upcoming summer. Skate has suffered from an excess of stock that has slowed down business. The combined effect of excessive pre-ordering and late deliveries has saturated the market. A similar thing happened to wetsuits, but the rest of the Spring deliveries have been good. Many stores brought their summer deliveries forward to secure stock and reaction time. “If there are cancellations, I have time to control what to do about it”, says owner of Hola Ola shop in Galicia, David Martínez.
Snowboarding delivered a great season. After two years of inactivity, snow lovers were very keen. Even the ones that had stopped riding some time ago, decided to get back to it, driving new boards sales and old boards repairs. However, there’s a sweet and sour feeling about the season. Sales were so good that stores wished they had bought more. Uncertainty about the opening of resorts and boxes piled up in backrooms promoted a shy pre-ordering. Brands did not take the risk of producing blindly; lack of refill stock resulted in loss of sales. “Instead of asking for specific products, people walked in our store asking what products we had to sell them”, says Gerard Sol from Daffi in Barcelona. Next Winter’s deliveries appear uncertain. Supply chain bottlenecks and scarcity of raw material is driving some brands to downsize pre-orders.
Inflation aside, the mood is optimistic. The influx of newcomers points to growth of the sports. Many are digital natives who are alien to the experience a specialised store offers. Gerard Sol shares an insightful anecdote. A young woman bought some snow products at his store and was amazed at the help and advice she was offered. To his surprise, she admitted she had never experienced it before, because she always shopped online. “There’s a whole generation out there who does not know that this kind of shopping experience exists!”, says Gerard. It would be interesting for stores to figure out how to get these young consumers to walk through their doors. Brand communication could support this idea. The benefits would be reaped by stores and brands alike. The main concern now is how the situation in Shanghai and Ukraine will affect next winter’s deliveries. Stores hope that brands and distributors are already putting systems in place to avoid empty shelves.
