In a dynamic and competitive sports equipment market, Sportisimo celebrates 7 years in Romania

As the sports equipment market of our country remains dynamic and competitive, having grown steadily in recent years, reaching today a value of more than EUR 500 million, Sportisimo celebrates 7 years in Romania. In 2022, Sportisimo registered a double-digit store sales growth of around 10%, with online sales representing about 15% of the company’s total sales.

2023 targets and future investment plans

Sportisimo’s target for 2023 is to maintain this double-digit growth, and to invest around EUR 2 million this year in expanding its store chain, says Petru Andronic, Country Manager at Sportisimo.

“We provided complete solutions for our customers’ needs. One solution launched last year is the Click and Collect option. This gives customers the opportunity to buy their favorite products online and then collect them directly from the selected store. We have been focused on increasing productivity in stores with the help of digitalization. We launched internal apps, services to help colleagues in stores, reduce their workload and we have been able to optimize several processes.” Explains Petru Andronic.

Read more about

Petru Andronic, Country Manager of Sportisimo Romania: Main Trends for Retail Development in 2024

read more

Last August, Sportisimo conducted a study regarding Romanian consumers with their partners at Incomind. The study was conducted on a sample of 1000 people aged between 15-65 years old, who bought at least once a year equipment worth at least RON 100. As a result of the study, a series of relevant data was collected:

1. On average, Romanians allocate a budget of approx. EUR 290 for the purchase of sports equipment, very similar to the Czech Republic (EUR 310), the lowest budget being in Slovakia (EUR 260). Although the budgets are similar, consumers are very different. While in the rest of the countries, the functionality/price ratio is the most important factor when making a decision, Romanians are also very attentive to the appearance of the equipment, they look at the price, they look at functionality, but they want the product to be fashionable and trendy as well.
2. The second important aspect of the study is that there is a direct link between the amount of income per household and the frequency of playing a sport. The higher the income level, the more often a sport is played and, of course, the more sports equipment is bought.
3. Romanians’ favourite brands remain Adidas, in first place, followed by Nike, Puma, Reebok and Sportisimo’s own brands.
4. In terms of type of sport activities, running is in first place (almost 50%), followed by hiking/outdoor and cycling. Women prefer aerobics, yoga, fitness and men prefer football, generally outdoor ball sports.

The sports equipment market in Romania is dynamic and competitive, and it has grown steadily in recent years, reaching today a value of more than EUR 500 million, but there’s still growth potential for Sportisimo locally, shows Maria Gheorghita, Marketing Director at Sportisimo.

“As a result of our efforts focused on logistics (a new warehouse in Ostrava), improved customer experience, and integrated marketing campaigns, our key performance indicators have increased. Sportisimo’s spontaneous brand awareness continued to grow in 2022 by 2% reaching 22; Aided awareness increased by 8 percent (from 77 percent to 85 percent); Active awareness increased up to 7 percent (from 55 percent to 62 percent). Also, looking at the indicator that measures customer satisfaction and the extent to which customers would recommend Sportisimo stores to others, the NPS score, Sportisimo ranks 3rd, up 2 places from 2021.” Says Maria Gheorghita.

2015-present & future expansion plans

In Romania, Sportisimo entered the market 7 years ago, opening its first 3 stores on 19 December 2015, and during this period the brand expanded rapidly, including during the pandemic period, reaching today a total of 48 stores. The company’s plan is to double its network in the next 5 years to over 90 stores locally.

“This year we aim to open 10 stores in Romania and we have planned facelifts every 5 years for stores already in operation. We are open to launching stores in retail parks as well as shopping centers, depending on the market opportunities that come from the developers.” Says Iulia Visan, Expansion Manager at Sportisimo.