A look at August sales figures in the outdoor market in the U.S. shows a slight increase of 0.9 percent to $816.8 million, a big slowing of growth compared with the several previous months. Retail sales data compiled by SportScanInfo for OIA VantagePoint indicated that in the surveyed outdoor chain specialty, internet and discount/mass channels, equipment led the increase, while apparel and footwear both saw declines. Even as the country’s consumer confidence index has risen, shoppers are buying only what they consider necessities, according to Frank Hugelmeyer, president and chief executive of the Outdoor Industry Association. August was an up-and-down month, with erratic sales trends from one week to the next. For 2010 thus far, the industry has seen an increase of about 5 percent.
