New Tennis Retailer Health Index Developed
Decline to Continue in Q4; Outperforming Consumer Confidence Index
The TIA has added a bi-annual monitor to track the pro/specialty retail market using several indicators. The measures include pro/specialty retail audit reports for racquets; dealer trend reports for balls, shoes, racquets and future racquet projections; and economic indicators such as the Consumer Confidence Index.

For the 2008 late season, the Pro/Specialty Retailer Index dropped two points from its high earlier in the year, as racquets (in units and dollars) and future racquet sales showed declines. Shoes showed a slight decline, while ball sales showed a slim rise.

Third-quarter 2008 sales were marginally down, but industry research is forecasting an 8 percent drop in racquet sales in the fourth quarter. Both balls and shoes appear to be less volatile than the racquet market and have been holding relatively steady at retail.
While the Pro/Specialty Retailer Index shows a clear decline as we close out 2008, the tennis market is still outperforming the Consumer Confidence Index, which has suffered a huge decline in the past year.
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