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Spanish Market 2022 Annual Roundup: Extended Summer Delays Winter, Yet Resort Reservations Remain High

Spain has resisted the financial hardships better than anticipated. Consumers are careful but confident, an attitude that keeps the footfall steady. Spain has made it to the end of 2022 with hopeful news. Forecasts point to 4.6% of GDP growth this year. The Spanish economy has weathered the crisis better than expected. It will actually lead the European growth charts next year. Nevertheless, there are uncertainties still looming. The threat of a global conflict, the possibility of another hard lockdown in China, and the persistent inflation, could tweak these figures.
By Rocio Enriquez

It is no surprise that consumers are careful. There is increased interest in discounted products and promotions. However, sales have remained steady throughout the Autumn. The only issue has been the atypical warm weather that has lasted well into November. This impacted sales of warm clothes, traditionally the best-selling category in Autumn. Winter forecasts are optimistic. Snow resorts have good reservation figures. Winter sports enthusiasts tend to have more spending power than summer ones. If there is snow, there will be sales.

Snowboarding and skiing remain the most popular disciplines on the mountain. Splitboarding has slightly increased, but sales volume still falls far behind. “The sales ratio is around three splitboards for every 100 snowboards”, explains Nicolas Ferrière from Viladomat in Andorra. The backcountry and safety knowledge required for the practice of splitboarding also limits the number of fans.

Schools have a lot of activity and that is good news for the sport. The number of kids learning to ride increases by the season. Some brands have acted on this trend, delivering gear for kids as young as 3 years old. Rules Snow Shop has their own school, Club Surfin’. They have an indoor facility with skatepark and trampolines to secure training on bad weather days and off-season. “The idea is to offer kids action sports activities all year round”, says Andrés Barroso.

Online sales, boosted during the pandemic, keep rising. Expert riders, who know exactly what they want, find it easy to shop online. For the not so expert, Viladomat provides an online service to offer advice about products. However, for highly technical product, brick and mortar remains very important.

Snow shops ended last season surprisingly low in stock. The overstock caused by resorts closure the year before made them order very limited amounts. When resorts re-opened, people flocked to the mountains and the shops. All their stock, old and new, was gone. This season it is not likely that shops will get all the stock they would like. Rising production and shipping costs have driven many brands to shrink their production. Raw material scarcity is extending production lead times, so pre-orders are made very early to secure timely deliveries. Gore Tex is an example. “Everything that has Gore-Tex needs to be ordered really early”, says Nicolas Ferrière. Trans-seasonality is a helpful practice that brands are practising more and retailers welcome. Making a product that lasts many seasons, keeping its margin, helps everyone, including the environment.

In this climate, the quality of the relationship between brand and retailer can make a difference. “Brands need to get more involved with retailers, beyond the purely commercial relationship”, says Andres Barroso. He believes that marketing budgets should prioritise creating content with retailers and talented athletes. After all, they are the ones driving the growth of the sport. A lot of spending has gone to influencers that are more concerned by the number of followers than by the quality of the content. Nico Ferrière agrees with this. He thinks there should be more support to help the industry as a whole – consumers, shops, and brands – for the growth of the market. “Shops are important because they offer an experience to the client”, says Nicolas. “Only specialised stores can surprise the clients with new brands and trends”.