Ispo trade show continues to grow

By

Bruno Joly

Published
Jan 30, 2013

The Ispo tradeshow is one-of-a kind in Europe. The fact that Quiksilver have returned to the show after several seasons of absence is testimony to that. For some time now, the Munich trade show has expanded its offering to cater for more than just winter sportswear. Taking place between 3 and 6 February at the Munich exhibition centre, 2481 exhibitors will be present at this edition, in comparison to 2344 one year ago. Foreign brands make up 85% of the total gathering and amongst those present are Oldo, Jack Wolfskin, Columbia, The North Face and Adidas with its Porsche Design line.

The Ispo show – which is full for this edition – will, for many, be a chance to check the pulse of the European market. Manufacturers saw an increase in sales of 4.2% for 2012, a rise no doubt due to the various lifestyle lines stemming certain brands. For Werner Haizmann of the association of German sport specialist suppliers, the picture is somewhat mixed in Europe. In Germany, after a drop of 4% in 2011, retailers are reported to have seen a progression of 2% to 7.3 billion euros for 2012. Across the whole of Europe, sports retailers recorded a decrease of 6% for the year despite the Olympic Games in London and UEFA in Poland and Ukraine.

On the current situation in southern Europe, Werner Haizmann comments, ‘In several European countries, retailers are going to have to face up to austerity measures imposed by governments, with very small pay rises and less household benefits. At the same time, however, we are very please to see the importance that people still give to taking care of their bodies.”

Messe München, the organizing body, has responded to this apparent interested in health and sport, taking Germany as an example, where numerous health insurance providers contribute to fitness and well-being costs. Because of this, a second annual health summit will take place at the Ispo show. For this first time, Ispo will feature an area dedicated to innovative products that link health and sport. The section of the show will feature three general themes over its 250 square-metre location: Sport and Performance, Activity and Comfort and Body and Health.

As for the rest, the 16-halled show will be split up into the usual sections of Action Sports, Ispo Vision, Outdoor, Ski, SportStyle, Fitness, Sourcing etc. Ispo Vision is an area of the show dedicated to brands that have their roots in sportswear such as Bogner, Peak Performance and Armani EA7.