According to the 2011 ActionWatch annual report, US retailers that were able to ride out the worst of the recession finally had a pretty good year in 2011. Sales were up 9% for all product categories tracked, and all major product categories had positive growth compared to 2010. Footwear saw the largest sales gain due largely to the massive growth seen in women’s closed-toe shoes. Both skate and surf hardgoods (the largest hardgoods categories tracked) enjoyed higher sales revenue in 2011 compared to the prior year, although surf performed better than skate by this measure. This was largely due to the higher price points of the growing SUP class of surfboards. The best-selling class within skate hardgoods was also its highest priced class, but long complete skateboards still sell for a fraction of the price of SUP surfboards.

Most products in the accessory category had a positive year, with socks being the leader in terms of year-over-year revenue growth. Watches and hats experienced double-digit growth while sunglasses and bags also improved sales over the prior year. Within the accessories category, belts and wallets struggled the most in 2011 ending the year with mid-single-digit sales declines.

Apparel showed the lowest growth rate of all the major categories we track but still had revenue gains overall with women’s apparel finally experiencing solid sales growth. For women, the “other shirts” class was a standout performer – this class includes tops that are not tees, tanks, or polos. Tanks had the best revenue gains within men’s shirts although all men’s shirt classes had sales growth with the exception of polo shirts.

Jeans struggled again in 2011 for both the male and female genders although men’s non-denim pant sales were up strongly. The other bottoms classes also had revenue gains with the exception of skirts. Although the pie may be smaller than a few years ago it is good to see the retailers that remain are indeed turning things around and showing improvement in their sales. Let’s hope this trend continues through 2012.

About ActionWatch: The ActionWatch Retail Panel includes 250 surf/skate independent specialty shops across the U.S. and is growing rapidly as more retailers join the free program. Retailers who participate get free access to a set of 50 reports updated each month. Retailers interested in joining the ActionWatch Retail Panel can get more information at www.ActionWatch.com.

All ActionWatch reports are made from the aggregated data of the participating retailers, which are located throughout the U.S. and vary in size from 750-square-foot shops to stores over 10,000 square feet. Data is collected monthly from electronic reports submitted by participating retailers.

Source TWB