Tips for retailers

Great Skates!

Is the SA skateboarding market “core” or “leisure”? There are the skateboarders who live, talk, breath and dress skateboarding culture. And then there are the leisure skateboarders who’ll occassionally use the board to travel from one point to another. But just how big exactly is the “core” market as opposed to the “leisure” market in South Africa, and is this distinction even necessary?

“In my mind you either are a skateboarder or not,” says Chris Mostert, President of the National Skateboarding Association of SA.

“Skateboarding encompasses so much more than just your skateboard. It’s a complete lifestyle. It’s something you live, breath, eat and sleep. Granted, there are kids that dabble in skateboarding for a period of time, but if they don’t really like it they will stop fairly soon after taking it up.

“So, if you ask how big the skateboarding scene in SA is, I can say that it’s reasonably big. The greatest thing is that it’s growing at a very healthy rate, and not just in SA, but the whole of Africa.”

According to Ross Painter of Sport Unlimited, a high percentage of people buy skateboards just to play around — some of them then become really good skateboarders.

“The majority of the kids that start skating subscribe to the whole skate culture — including skate apparel and footwear,” says Painter. “In Johannesburg there are a lot more skate facilities for events etc., so far more kids participate in events as opposed to Cape Town where there is almost no skate facilities and hence little participation in organised events.”

Markku Fleischmann of Dragons Sports believes that the leisure market dominates during the peak season. “But, as a culture, the core part keeps on growing. Like countries overseas that promote skating by supplying concrete skate parks, we can have a boom in this sport if we get opportunities like that,” he believes.

But, even core skaters don’t need to participate in competitions.

“You’ll find more “free” skaters around,” says Fleischmann. “It’s all about living it, not competing for it. Most of them you’ll find in the streets!”

Skatepark events

How many skateboarders actually participate in events?

Mostert reckons there are on average 40-70 entries for the professional events and about the same in amateur events. The ages are between 11-25 in both divisions.

“Age has nothing to do with the level you can compete at,” says Mostert. “We have had 14 year olds win professional events against twenty somethings.”

Painter believes that the age range is even wider: 8-26 years and says that some events in Johannesburg and Durban attract more than a hundred participants.

“The big names in competitions are in their 30’s,” says Fleischmann. “Overseas we have a few diehards in their 40’s. It’s difficult to say how many take part in skatepark events. It can be anything between 10-60 depending on the location and the prep work before hand.”

The question arises as to whether skateboarders are concentrated in areas where there are skateparks or whether most of them are street skaters.

Although there can sometimes be a high concentration of kids in skateparks in Durban and Johannesburg, it seems that kids prefer to take to skating the streets in Cape Town and other parts of the country where there are no, or few skateparks. “Kids tend to take to the streets,” Fleischmann reiterates. “Then again, that’s where it all started!”

Mostert states that skateboarders always skate street, even when there is a skatepark close to them. “Part of skateboarding culture is to find new spots and explore new places, so most skateboarders travel.”

The culture

So, what do the “core” participants look for in a skateboarding products? Do they opt for authentic skate brands or do they choose something different?

Mostert stresses that skateboarders support companies that support their culture.

For example, although not strictly a skate brand, Converse, which has a long and legitimate street culture heritage, is a sponsor partner of the SA National Skateboarding Association.

“Skateboarders look for something that represents who they are and what they believe in,” says Mostert. “For example, if Mr. Price brings out skateboarding products most skateboarder will see that as a threat,” says Mostert.

Painter points out that the skate brands always have a different offering. “Skaters generally don’t want commercial brands that one can find everywhere,” Painter explains. “They want brands that are edgy and almost exclusive and that are core to the sport.”

Fleischmann states that core skaters go with something they know and that is tested. “Your leisure skaters/novices that started with their transition to core, tend to buy expensive goods without proper help and can end up with something that doesn’t suit them.”

Products and Brands are Important

Painter often gets enquiries from non-skateboarders about skateboarding shoes and clothing to be worn as fashion items. “This is because the product/brand is fresh and not mainstream. There is a huge push towards people wanting brands that are exclusive. People want fresh things! People don’t want to be walking through a mall and see 6 or 7 people wearing the same top!”

Fleischmann agrees. “Many soft good sales are for non-skaters. Look at the modern surfing industry. There you see brands like Billabong, Quiksilver and O’Neil all over the place. Take a closer look at skate clothing and you’ll see that you can’t get much better quality than that.”

What exactly do the “leisure” participants look for when buying products? Do they want proper brands, or do they just ask for a skateboard they like?

It is true that people often buy a product when they see it being used by someone else. “When it comes to people that are just going to buy a board to use now and again you will find they will often buy the board that they have seen somebody else skate,” says Mostert. “Especially if they have seen a professional person using a certain board, shoe, watch and even T-shirt.”

“People who are just starting out generally become brand orientated through influence of friends etc. that have introduced them to the sport,” Painter points out. “Kids are getting more brand orientated from a young age. No one wants to be seen as “uncool” amongst their friends. The young kids, i.e. 5-8, are generally unaware of brands and pick their board on colour and graphics. Skate boards always have good graphics on!”

Many leisure clients know which products are core, but are not willing to pay that much. “Keep in mind that your leisure buyer can buy a cheaper skate set-up so that there is enough funds left for good shoes and strong pants that can handle the abrasive nature of the sport,” says Fleischmann.

Skateboarding into the Future

“Skate boarding at retail has gone through cycles for the last 10 years or so,” says Painter. “In Cape Town it is strong the one year and dead the next. In Johannesburg it’s remained stable. However, in the last 3 years or so skating has become very consistent and continues to grow.

“There are now a lot more brands in the SA skate industry than ever before and more money behind it than what there was in the past due to the involvement of skate brands. Skating has definitely established its roots well and is definitely here to stay. I see skate products continuing to grow from strength to strength.”

“As long as there are kids, there will be a demand,” Fleischmann states. “It’s how we use it. Shops can only sell so much. Add skateparks and the demand will grow rapidly. Skateparks are not only safe and give peace of mind to parents, but it gives the skaters, be it leisure or core, the chance to express themselves.”

Mostert believes that SA and the rest of Africa are going to see the whole industry explode in the next two years.

He represents Africa on the International Skateboarding Federation and has been working with countries like Uganda, Kenya, Botswana and many more on events and associations. “There is so much room for growth in Africa and the development of skateboarding has been awesome,” he says. “We are also starting to make a name for ourselves in the international industry. So, in a nutshell we are very positive about what is happening in skateboarding in SA and Africa.”