US Tennis Footwear and Apparel Sales Continue to Grow as Interest in Racquet Sports Persists

Tennis footwear and apparel sales continued to grow in the U.S. as racquet sports — namely pickleball — persistently gain momentum with consumers. Looking at footwear, U.S. tennis shoe sales grew by 21 percent in the 12 months ending June 2023 versus the prior year, and increased 37 percent compared to three years ago, according to new data from Circana (formerly IRI and The NPD Group). Additionally, sales for tennis-inspired sneakers, which have the performance-based heritage of a tennis shoe but intended for everyday wear, increased by 9 percent in the past 12 months, compared to the previous year, the research firm found. In general, consumers do not distinguish between different racquet sports like tennis and pickleball when it comes to choosing clothes for the sports. Even brands like Spanx are marketing court inspired clothing for a variety of sports. And while some brands like Fila, K-Swiss and Skechers offer pickleball-specific shoes, many pickleball players are opting for tennis shoes on the court. Beth Goldstein, footwear industry analyst at Circana, said in a statement that the growing trend of tennis footwear as a fashion statement is an “interesting” finding from the company’s latest data. “Through the rising popularity of tennis-inspired footwear, we

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