At the leisure and sports section of Shenyang Zhongjie Xinglong Family Mall, once dominated by branded sportswear, outdoor gear now occupies most of the space. Brands like Columbia, Columbia Sportswear, Jack Wolfskin, The North Face, and Kailas... exude fashionable outdoor elements. Meanwhile, areas near Shisanwei Road and Zhongshan Park have also seen a proliferation of specialty outdoor gear stores. But at some shops, "outdoor" has been mistakenly equated with "travel."
High prices, few discounts
As functional clothing, outdoor gear is significantly more expensive than regular sportswear. Yesterday, a reporter at the Kailas store in Xinglong Family Mall on Zhongjie saw that the cheapest single-layer windbreaker was priced over 700 yuan, while those priced 1,600 yuan or even 2,000 yuan were plentiful.
The salesperson explained: "It's almost time for the seasonal change, so it's a good time to buy winter clothes." She recommended a fleece-lined windbreaker priced at 996 yuan, "Its original price was over 1,000 yuan. Without the fleece lining, it can also be worn as a single layer, and our single-layer ones are 700 yuan each—this one is the best deal."
At brand stores like Columbia, Jack Wolfskin, and The North Face, discounts are almost non-existent. A salesperson at the Toread store said: "Outdoor products are not like other types of clothing—discounts are very rare, with the lowest being around 20% off." Many outdoor shop staff said similar things: "There are no promotions in the store right now, but you might be able to join the mall’s Valentine’s Day event in a few days." Meanwhile, regular sportswear often sees discounts of 40% off during this period.
Explosive growth in store numbers
In the past, a stroll around the stadium area would reveal major sportswear brands like Li-Ning, Nike, and 361° as the main tenants, but now more and more outdoor brands are clustering here. Statistics show that for four consecutive years, China’s outdoor gear retail sales have been growing at over 40% annually, and experts predict that the overall market potential for outdoor gear this year will exceed 10 billion yuan. Even comprehensive retailers like Xinglong Family Mall are expanding their outdoor product sections.
It is understood that outdoor gear is often sold to “insiders” through club activities and QQ groups. Industry insiders revealed, “Club members get certain discounts when buying clothes in-store, and outdoor enthusiasts exchange information in QQ groups—there’s no need for salespeople to explain much.”
At the Columbia store in Xinglong Family Mall on Zhongjie, the reporter also saw the owner displaying photos from club-organized outdoor activities. The owner said this serves both to enliven the club atmosphere and as promotional material.
Some misleading practices exist
It is understood that most buyers are either outdoor sports enthusiasts or people who only use such gear occasionally when traveling. Outdoor gear has become synonymous with travel, positioned as a high-consumption, luxury product, and outdoor sports are portrayed as a lifestyle for the wealthy. But this is purely misleading consumers.
Gao Juanjuan, a graduate student specializing in outdoor sports at Shenyang Sport University, explained that in the northeastern region, where winters are windy and cold, it is reasonable for the general public to choose windproof and breathable outdoor gear. However, outdoor products come in various grades—high, medium, and low—and purchases should be made according to one’s budget. For example, someone wearing a several-thousand-yuan windbreaker just to go shopping is definitely not a professional rock climber.
“Windbreakers do indeed offer windproof, waterproof, and breathable features, but on rainy days, no matter how good the windbreaker is, it can’t compare to a simple raincoat,” Gao Juanjuan advised. “For the general public, buying reasonably priced regular sportswear is sufficient.”