After the record traffic and shortages of the past two years, it’s dead calm in winter sports stores in the greater Montreal area.
The ceiling of the Ski Shop Rive-Sud is “a ski paradise”. “When they die, that’s where they go up,” says co-manager Jonathan Dubreuil, pointing to the inner skies of the place, lined with outdated sports equipment.
The aisles of the approximately 700 square meter specialty shop are lined with a large number of skis and snowboards of various sizes and models. Coats and toques of all colors are piled up on the shelves. But the customers, themselves, are desired for the moment.
“This section is cross-country skiing. In the last two years, at this time, it was empty. We had difficulty receiving supplies. We filled it up a little, and it emptied right away. There, it filled up and it’s starting to sell out a bit,” explains Mr. Dubreuil, a big fan of snowboarding.
The Ski Shop Rive-Sud noted a drop of 15% to 20% in sales compared to the last two seasons. Several other shops have also confirmed To have to noticeable reductions.
It must be said that the last two years have been exceptional for skiing. While orders from suppliers were slow to arrive, customers wanted more than ever to equip themselves for the outdoors. “At this time of year, there was a queue of one hour outside and one hour in the store,” says Mr. Dubreuil, looking at his deserted store. It wasn’t pleasant for anyone. This year it’s more manageable. Customers have a better in-store experience. »
At La Cordée, the lower sales of winter equipment are offset by those of other product categories, such as bicycles and climbing equipment, for which the season is stretching. Its president, Cédric Morisset, is delighted to have more choices in stock. “Last year, someone who wanted cross-country skis had to take the ones that were on the wall. Now our advisers can tell him what is best for his needs,” he said.
The president of the Ski Town store in Brossard, Brigitte Trottier, also notes that even if the traffic is lower than last year, it is still much greater than before the pandemic.
Heat and inflation
The decline could be partly explained by the mild and sunny weather this fall. “People are taking advantage of the good weather, they are going to walk in the mountains, and we go last. They will arrive at our house in three weeks, at the same time as the snow – at the last minute, like for the change of tires”, predicts Mme Trotier.
In addition, some outdoor enthusiasts have already stocked up on equipment in the past two years. The rising cost of living can also put a damper on potential customers, believes the manager of the Oberson store in Laval, Jean-Julien Perreault. “People are spending less easily than at the start of the pandemic. They look more at prices. »
Most of the supply problems have been resolved, according to the managers of many shops which have replenished their stocks based on their sales from last year. They are now afraid of ending up with surpluses; discounts could therefore be back in several places.
“At Black Friday, there will be big discounts that there weren’t last year,” says Mme Trotier. The latter also notes that the prices of skis and boots, which must follow manufacturers’ suggestions, have increased by 10% to 15% this year; it expects further increases next year.
Ski resorts, for their part, are seeing a slight delay in seasonal subscriptions. “It’s hard to say if it’s a return to pre-pandemic normal or if it’s the high temperatures that speak to us,” says Josée Cusson, director of communications and marketing at the Association des stations de ski du Québec.
Like owners of sporting goods stores, ski resort managers say they are grateful to have been able to take advantage of a persistent enthusiasm for outdoor activities during the pandemic.