11.01.01
With the United States leading the way, the sports nutrition business continues to grow around the world (Table 1). In all countries except Russia, where the sector is at a nascent stage of development, the sports nutrition sector was dominated by sports nutrition drinks in 1999 (Table 2). In China and Japan, sports drinks accounted for 100% of total sales. In China, this represents the low level of development in the sector as a whole, which has not yet expanded beyond the drinks format, while in Japan, this illustrates the extremely high sales of sports drinks; although there is a market for other sports nutrition products, this is massively overshadowed by the drinks subsector to the extent that other products appear to be negligible.
Drinks accounted for over 90% of total sales in Italy, Spain, Sweden, Canada and Mexico. In most cases, this was a reflection of the lack of interest and activity in bar formats, which remains a niche area, and other sports nutrition, which tends to be a small category except in those countries where bodybuilding is popular.
Bars represent a relatively new format for sports nutrition and as such, account for only a minority of sales. The most developed market for bars is the U.S., where the format is comparatively well established and is particularly well suited to a culture where eating habits are strongly characterized by grazing. Bars are also reasonably important in much of Western Europe. Although the introduction of these products did not occur until the latter part of the review period (1995-1999), in many cases they showed strong growth due to their convenience.
The status of the "other" subsector shows the strongest variation between countries. It accounted for less than 5% of total sales in a large number of markets, including France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Mexico, China and Japan. In these areas, there is little demand for bulk building products, as in most cases, a heavily muscled body does not represent the cultural ideal. However, there are a handful of markets where demand for these products is significantly high, at over 30%. These include Finland, Switzerland, Russia and the U.S., where bodybuilding is more popular and muscle/bulk represents a desired body type.
Growth rates varied considerably across the surveyed markets in constant value terms, from decline in Italy and India to four-digit growth in the underdeveloped French market. The key factors driving across the sector included:
- Expansion of the consumer base to extend beyond sports people, including broadening of distribution networks to include mass market formats
- Heavy advertising and creation of strong brands, notably Red Bull
- Introduction of new product categories, including energy drinks and bar formats
In most cases, the fastest growing subsector was that of bars, which in many countries was almost unknown at the beginning of the review period. Growth was particularly strong in France, the most undeveloped of the markets where bars were present, followed by Finland, Canada, Sweden and Spain. In a number of European countries, growth was notably stimulated by the repositioning of PowerBar (now owned by Nestl) in 1997, when it was shifted to a mass market positioning as a broader-based, healthy snack product. Growth rates were less dramatic in markets where the format was more mature, notably Germany and the U.S.
Growth rates varied considerably in the drinks subsector. In several markets, growth was healthy but comparatively slow due to the relative maturity of the sports drinks category, which came under increased pressure from other healthy drinks such as fortified juices, ACE drinks and mineral waters. In most countries, the main driver for growth was energy drinks, which were launched or relaunched across many countries toward the end of the 1990s. Growth was extremely pronounced in France, where sports nutrition drinks were almost unknown at the beginning of the review period due to a lack of interest in standard sports drinks. The mid-period introduction of energy drinks, however, spurred dramatic growth, although the subsector remains a niche area.
Although the "other" sports nutrition subsector was led by bulk building, it was in some cases alternative, energy-replacing formatsrather than protein mixes-that drove growth in this area. In Japan, dynamic growth stemmed from the introduction of the paste format sports nutrition product Jog Mate, as well as from good growth in jelly-type nutrition.
In areas such as the U.K. and Spain, growth was derived from the take-up of muscle building products among a wider consumer base, including those who wished to simply achieve improved definition rather than participate in serious body building. This was driven by the increase in gym attendance, which led to a greater understanding of the process of developing muscle and removed some fears about the dangers of using supplements to aid this.NW
About the report:
Nutritional Products: A World Survey, published by research firm Euromonitor International, investigates developments in the nutritional products industry worldwide. For more information: Annette Budzisz, Euromonitor International; 312-922-1115, ext. 234; Fax: 312-922-1157; E-mail: annette. budzisz@euromonitorintl.com.
Drinks accounted for over 90% of total sales in Italy, Spain, Sweden, Canada and Mexico. In most cases, this was a reflection of the lack of interest and activity in bar formats, which remains a niche area, and other sports nutrition, which tends to be a small category except in those countries where bodybuilding is popular.
Bars represent a relatively new format for sports nutrition and as such, account for only a minority of sales. The most developed market for bars is the U.S., where the format is comparatively well established and is particularly well suited to a culture where eating habits are strongly characterized by grazing. Bars are also reasonably important in much of Western Europe. Although the introduction of these products did not occur until the latter part of the review period (1995-1999), in many cases they showed strong growth due to their convenience.
The status of the "other" subsector shows the strongest variation between countries. It accounted for less than 5% of total sales in a large number of markets, including France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Mexico, China and Japan. In these areas, there is little demand for bulk building products, as in most cases, a heavily muscled body does not represent the cultural ideal. However, there are a handful of markets where demand for these products is significantly high, at over 30%. These include Finland, Switzerland, Russia and the U.S., where bodybuilding is more popular and muscle/bulk represents a desired body type.
Growth rates varied considerably across the surveyed markets in constant value terms, from decline in Italy and India to four-digit growth in the underdeveloped French market. The key factors driving across the sector included:
- Expansion of the consumer base to extend beyond sports people, including broadening of distribution networks to include mass market formats
- Heavy advertising and creation of strong brands, notably Red Bull
- Introduction of new product categories, including energy drinks and bar formats
In most cases, the fastest growing subsector was that of bars, which in many countries was almost unknown at the beginning of the review period. Growth was particularly strong in France, the most undeveloped of the markets where bars were present, followed by Finland, Canada, Sweden and Spain. In a number of European countries, growth was notably stimulated by the repositioning of PowerBar (now owned by Nestl) in 1997, when it was shifted to a mass market positioning as a broader-based, healthy snack product. Growth rates were less dramatic in markets where the format was more mature, notably Germany and the U.S.
Growth rates varied considerably in the drinks subsector. In several markets, growth was healthy but comparatively slow due to the relative maturity of the sports drinks category, which came under increased pressure from other healthy drinks such as fortified juices, ACE drinks and mineral waters. In most countries, the main driver for growth was energy drinks, which were launched or relaunched across many countries toward the end of the 1990s. Growth was extremely pronounced in France, where sports nutrition drinks were almost unknown at the beginning of the review period due to a lack of interest in standard sports drinks. The mid-period introduction of energy drinks, however, spurred dramatic growth, although the subsector remains a niche area.
Although the "other" sports nutrition subsector was led by bulk building, it was in some cases alternative, energy-replacing formatsrather than protein mixes-that drove growth in this area. In Japan, dynamic growth stemmed from the introduction of the paste format sports nutrition product Jog Mate, as well as from good growth in jelly-type nutrition.
In areas such as the U.K. and Spain, growth was derived from the take-up of muscle building products among a wider consumer base, including those who wished to simply achieve improved definition rather than participate in serious body building. This was driven by the increase in gym attendance, which led to a greater understanding of the process of developing muscle and removed some fears about the dangers of using supplements to aid this.NW
About the report:
Nutritional Products: A World Survey, published by research firm Euromonitor International, investigates developments in the nutritional products industry worldwide. For more information: Annette Budzisz, Euromonitor International; 312-922-1115, ext. 234; Fax: 312-922-1157; E-mail: annette. budzisz@euromonitorintl.com.