by Larry Eder
SAUCONY® ADVANCES TO NO. 2 POSITON IN RUNNING SPECIALTY CHANNEL
Product innovation and consumer engagement generate largest market share in brand’s history
LEXINGTON, MA (October 3, 2013) – Strengthening its position as the fastest growing major brand in the run specialty retail channel, globalperformance running footwear and apparel brand Saucony today announced that it has taken over the No. 2 market share position in the running specialty channel for August 2013. According to market research firm Leisure Trends Group, Saucony’s total brand market share for August reached 17 percent in units, representing the largest market share in the company’s history and outpacing Asics, a long-standing industry leader.
Year-to-date (YTD), Saucony has surpassed industry dollar sales by a ratio of nearly 4 to 1, achieving a 15 percent gain in dollar sales versus 4 percent growth for the industry over the same time period, according to recent data on the running specialty channel published by the Leisure Trends Group.
“We’ve never been better positioned to achieve our goal to become the leading brand in the all-important run specialty channel,” said Richie Woodworth, president of Saucony. “Product innovation and consumer engagement continue to drive us as we lead the marketplace in a number of areas, including our long-standing focus on the entire gait cycle. Saucony’s innovation, leadership and research around geometries, engineered stability and dynamic fit have resulted in a product philosophy that is providing a better, richer running experience for all runners.”
Saucony’s ongoing commitment to improvement in innovation and performance continues to earn significant industry awards for the brand. The brand has been repeatedly recognized by Runner’s World, the worldwide authority on running, for its exceptionally innovative and industry-leading products, including the most recent accolades:
- Omni 12: “Editor’s Choice” (Fall 2013)
- Kinvara 4: “Best Update” (Summer 2013)
- Mirage 3: “Best Update” (Spring 2013)
Other recent notable industry awards include:
- Cortana 3: “Best Renovation” (Running Network, Fall 2013)
- Xodus 4.0: “Editor’s Choice (Trail Runner, Fall 2013)
- Virrata: “Gear of the Year” (Outside, Spring 2013)
“We’re having a lot of fun at Saucony right now with our goal of creating the best running products on the planet,” continued Woodworth. “Our retail partners and runners everywhere deserve and demand the best from us every day. While we are incredibly grateful for all of the running community’s support as we grow, we know we must relentlessly push our innovation culture to deliver ongoing improvements in the entire running experience with each new product we bring to market. In this way, we will continue to develop outstanding and rich relationships with our runners and partners around the world.”
For more information and interviews, please contact Sharon Barbano at Saucony® (617-824-6126), sharon.barbano@saucony.com
About Saucony: Saucony, a division of Wolverine Worldwide, is a leading global running lifestyle brand that fuses performance, innovation and style to create compelling footwear and apparel with its widely recognized brands Saucony and Saucony Originals. Founded in 1898, Saucony continues to inspire runners everywhere with its award winning innovations, including the “Geometry of Strongâ„¢, PowerGridâ„¢, and ViZiPROâ„¢ apparel. At Saucony, a good day is when we get to run. A great day is when we inspire someone else to run. For more information, go to www.saucony.com.
