The low amounts of snow so far this winter are also making themselves felt in sporting goods stores, which run the risk of ending the season with overstocks.
This is especially true at Echo Sports in Quebec, where cross-country skiing isn't very popular this year.
“It’s pretty low,” says the company’s owner, Alexandre Laporte. Certainly we have numbers that are exactly the same as last year, and last year was not a very strong year in cross country.”
“We will have a surplus of inventory after the last few years with COVID,” he continues. “COVID has forced us to buy a lot of stocks because of demand.”
However, alpine skis are more in demand.
“The ski centers have still done a good job, but on the other hand sales have moved a little, so we are selling a little less off-piste skiing, but more on-piste skiing.”
The situation is similar with the Le Runner Nordic branch, where we also expect a surplus of inventory at the end of the season.
“Cross-country skiing, which is usually a big part of our lives [nos ventes] Winter makes much less sales, says manager David Tardif-Fournier. There are also a lot of people who have equipped themselves in recent years.”
“We came in at the start of this winter with a lot of inventory from last year plus an inventory from this year and told ourselves we were going to have a big winter, but that's not the case,” he adds. We hope that this will even out in the coming winters.”
However, the sporting goods retailer has recorded an increase in sales of running-related items in recent months.
“We don't have snow, so we're on the sidewalks and on the asphalt, so it's clear that people say they can walk,” explains Mr. Tardif-Fournier. We have a 35% increase in shoe sales in January and February compared to last year.”
However, temperatures forecast for the next few days threaten to dampen runners' enthusiasm and usher in the ice skating season across Quebec.