US sees basketball footwear sales boom

It's been a slamdunk year for basketball shoes so far in 2013, with analyst group NPD reporting further growth in the footwear style.

Nike's Air Jordans have created major buzz ever since their first release of shoes to the public in 1985, but the sector is continuing to grow, with basketball footwear still on the rise according to the latest figures released by consumer trend experts the NPD group.

January 2013 saw an 11 percent increase in the sector compared to January 2012, followed by 6 percent growth in February 2013 compared with one year earlier. The products tracked include all performance, sports lifestyle, and classic basketball style shoes.

Nike and their Jordan brand subsidiary are two of the biggest players in the sector, but Adidas is also making major waves, last year seeing its largest market share increase since 2009.

"Even though the younger generation who is purchasing basketball shoes is low on disposable income, they are the consumers who are jumping on the business. Basketball will be the category to watch as a key revenue driver in 2013," stated Marshal Cohen, NPD's chief industry analyst.

The centers for basketball footwear sales remain urban: the top three US cities were New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, out of the top 10 markets in the country, Washington, DC grew the fastest, and had the highest average selling price.

Partnerships with star players seem to be the key to continued growth. Just this week Nike Basketball has released its ELITE Series 2.0, with new shoes for NBA superstars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. Meanwhile the latest Adidas sneaker for Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose dropped in January.

By contrast, performances in the running shoes sector have been much weaker; according to the Wall Street Journal, analyst group SportsOneSource "says sales for running shoes have increased only 1% this year." Analyst Camilo Lyon of Canaccord Genuity also expects demand to decelerate in the US market, but sees new growth in China as the future of the industry.