Over the past two years, the traditional sportswear industry has shown a declining trend.

In contrast to the gloom in the traditional sportswear sector, the outdoor gear industry enjoys clear skies and bright prospects. The "2011 China Outdoor Fashion Sportswear Market Development Report" released at the ISPO BEIJING Asia Outdoor & Fashion Exhibition site indicates that by 2011, China's outdoor market had reached a scale of 10.7 billion yuan, with more than 700 brands competing in the Chinese outdoor market. Similarly, the "2011 Annual Outdoor Brand Department Store Business Report," also released at the exhibition, pointed out that sales of outdoor sportswear brands through retail channels such as department stores have also seen double-digit growth, making it one of the fastest-growing segments in the retail sector. Among outdoor sportswear brands, Take a look at The North Face as an example — having successfully completed a brand upgrade themed around "the brave heart," along with continuous technological advancements and upstream supply chain integration, its 2012 performance report shows that total annual revenue and net profit increased by 46.7% and 58.9% respectively year-on-year. Additionally, The North Face’s 2013 autumn and winter order volume totaled 1.273 billion yuan, up 35% year-on-year; the full-year 2013 order volume reached 1.998 billion yuan, a 40% increase year-on-year. Looking at outdoor product exhibitions, take the globally high-profile ISPO BEIJING Asia Outdoor & Fashion Exhibition as an example — over 600 sportswear brands from around the world will participate in its 2013 show. Alpine Pro, K2, MAMMUT, Nordica, HAGLÖFS, Salewa, X-BIONIC, http://zlgj.gdjtt.gov.cn http://qp.gdjtt.gov.cn, The North Face, Kolumb, and Mountain Hardwear will all make new appearances at the event, with the scale expanding by about 15% compared to the previous year.

The entry of major sportswear brands into the outdoor market is bound to intensify competition in the outdoor gear industry and will also promote its maturation. With thousands of retail outlets, these sportswear giants will expand the influence of outdoor sports like never before. Under these circumstances, traditional brands in the outdoor industry will undergo two changes: first, mass-market outdoor brands primarily focused on retail channels will accelerate their channel development efforts and expand the density and depth of sales outlets; second, professional outdoor brands mainly relying on specialty outdoor shops will face a surge in outdoor enthusiasts, leading to another peak in entrepreneurial ventures opening outdoor retail stores. In short, distributors will become an even more valuable resource for brands to compete over. It is evident that the involvement of sportswear brands in the outdoor industry will bring significant development opportunities for outdoor gear distributors. B2B outdoor exhibitions such as ISPO BEIJING have accordingly become comprehensive platforms that centrally showcase both domestic and international outdoor brands to distributors.