German Market Insight Autumn 2025 Navigating Inflation, Cautious Consumers, and Community Strength

Germany’s retail sector is still under continued pressure from weak consumer demand, inflation, and cautious spending. Boardsports retailers are experiencing the same trend, with strong interest in outdoor activity but growing sensitivity to price and promotions. Even so, early winter openings and shop-driven events show that community engagement remains a stabilizing force in an otherwise challenging market.

National economic overview: The German retail landscape in 2024/2025 will continue to be characterised by reduced consumer demand, persistent inflation and general uncertainty. Official figures show only slight real growth in the retail sector, while trade associations also expect only moderate growth for 2025. It is noticeable that online retail is growing faster than the brick-and-mortar market. For the sporting goods sector, and in particular the board sports sector, this means walking a fine line: stable demand for leisure and outdoor products is contrasted by a cautious willingness to purchase higher-priced items. The inflation rate in Germany in October 2025 was up 2.3% compared to the previous year.

Retail mood – Black Friday and market reality: As harsh as it sounds, the official figures pretty much reflect what retailers in Germany are experiencing. No matter who I spoke to and that was quite a few people, the statements were almost identical, whether they were large or small retailers. “Hey Toby, what are you doing at Ridersheaven on Black Friday? We’re hardly doing any business., everyone’s waiting for this US-driven day. It’s crazy that the brands are now fully on board with this. On that day, we almost exclusively sell close-out or older merchandise.“ . I also find it difficult to remain positive in such conversations and I’m actually a very positively minded person. But reorders and sales trends are currently telling a different story. So enough about that ‘Black Day’, let’s move on to something positive, he winter season is off to a solid start!

Start of the winter season – Tux & Stubai deliver: The Hintertux Opening was a complete success: fresh snow, a top park and a great atmosphere among the participants. It continued with the Stubai Opening. Another consumer test that really got people in the mood for winter. Fantastic weather, motivated riders, satisfied brands.

As Ferdi Christ from Mervin said: “ We are extremely happy, despite the chaos. The glacier was packed: first an hour of gondola standstill, then from midday onwards it was all about mounting bindings.“ I also talked to some of the testers there. Flo from the Stuttgart area told me: “I’ve heard so much about fast-entry bindings, now I just wanted to test them myself.“ When asked what impressed him most, he couldn’t decide between FASE, Supermatic or Step On.

“Which brings me to the point about Fast-entry bindings: It’s great to see that these systems are bringing people back to snowboarding. Another tester said: “I started skiing again when we had children, it was easier. But now, with fast-entry bindings, snowboarding is just as uncomplicated again.“ Snowboarding just remains a unique feeling. Go sideways.

Fast-entry systems have actually been around for a long time. Burton, Union and Nitro – I would say the three big binding brands, have been investing in Step On together for years. K2 used to have Clicker and Cinch in its range, Flow (now Nidecker) was also an early adopter, as were SP and many others. That’s why it’s exciting to see FASE getting so much hype right now. But is it really a game changer? Mmm… hard to say. But what is definitely happening right now is that people are talking about snowboarding again. And for that, we can only be grateful.

Of course, there are still riders who prefer classic two-strap bindings – like one of the testers or Gigi Rüf himself, who did a great job again at the event. In addition to his Slash stand, he once again offered Kids Shred Sessions. It’s wonderful to see young talent being promoted – something the snowboard industry desperately needs.

Shred Testival Kaunertal – Shop power instead of direct sales: I am currently at the Shred Testival in Kaunertal, 19 degrees, but perfect conditions. This event is something special because it was initiated by snowboard shops and is supported by them. Jens Gramer (Fifty Eight, Ulm) and Tobias Bär (Love Snowboarding) have really put together something impressive here. All the big-name snowboard brands are here supporting retailers rather than selling everything directly. Jens says: “It was important to us that us shops bring people to the glacier. And then, of course, those people should buy from us, not with a voucher online from the brand.“ In my opinion, this has been a success: Markus from Trends & Sport (Gilching) brought 45 people to the Kaunertal valley, with his team looking after them all day. He explains: “I don’t have an online shop, instead I focus on activities such as courses and trips. That builds customer loyalty. And I only work with brands that support this. It only works if we work together.“

Heiko from Funbox in Ludwigsburg takes a similar view. He has deliberately reduced his product range:”I don’t need 20 snowboard brands. We sell well in the high-end segment, e.g. Never Summer. There’s no direct sales pressure and no price wars. It’s not about selling more and more, it’s about selling what you sell cleanly and at a profit.“ An honest and important point in times of extremely price-driven customer expectations. The Shred Testival shows how important events are that connect trade, industry and end consumers. We definitely need more of them!

Surfmarket – strong swells & changes in trade: Let’s talk about surfing. Europe had excellent swell periods this year, almost all top destinations offered good conditions on a regular basis. The industry has also noticed this. Jaime from Olatu says: “Sales are completely stable with the Indio boards from our factory. At Indio, we are even seeing growth.“ In his opinion, this is because buyers are once again focusing on more attractively priced boards: “With Indio, we have top shapes at a great price. We could have sold even more if we had had more boards.“

This makes it all the more sad that the Wellenreiten Shop Hamburg has to close at the end of December. The crew has done a great job for years, providing top-notch advice and creating a shop where you feel at home. Björn told me: „The price war just wasn’t sustainable anymore. When four wetsuits are tried on at the weekend, two fit perfectly, but none are bought, then it’s no longer economically viable.“ We wish them all the best, and hope to see them again somewhere while surfing.

Surftown Munich, a summer of superlatives: Let’s end on a positive note: Surftown in Munich had a fantastic summer. The sessions were almost always fully booked. This shows that there is huge interest in surfing in landlocked Germany and this helps the whole scene.

Outlook: We are now looking forward to strong Christmas sales and a good winter season. Lots of tailwind – for retailers, brands and everyone who is travelling sideways or straight ahead. And we hope that Black/Cyber Monday or the month of sales is now over and that everyone is earning money again, which we all need.

Ride on

Toby Hammer