OUTLOOK
2025
SHOP TALK / RUNNING RETAIL
20 runstyle Fall 2024 runstylemag.com
RETAILERS WEIGH IN ON 3 KEY QUESTIONS.
Ted's Shoe &
Sport, Keene, NH.
T
he holiday season is fast
approaching. 2025 is just
around the corner. As the
running business races
ahead, we paused to take a
breath and check the pulse
of the market, reaching out
to garner opinions from
retailers about issues that are top-of-
mind. We asked about their respective
optimism about 2025, thoughts on
current innovation trends, and input
on key topics such as supply and demand
and product pricing.
For sure, the industry has had a
phenomenal last decade. According
to data in the soon-to-be published
Tracking the Fitness Movement research
report from the Sports & Fitness Industry
Association (SFIA), total American
participation in running, treadmills, and
trails rose by 17.2 percent between 2013
and 2023, or 13.7 million, to 93.2 million
in 2023. Total U.S. participation in these
three activities peaked in 2019, ahead
of the pandemic's start, at 95.2 million.
Here's what four different retailers
told us about three key issues.
