China's high-end sports brand market grows fast; fitness, yoga, and running gain popularity.

High-end sports brands in China are rapidly growing, directly targeting key customers and presenting new challenges to giants like Nike and Adidas, who are competing with local rivals in the $55 billion sportswear market.

In China's sluggish consumer market, sportswear is a rare bright spot. Post-pandemic, health and fitness have become priorities for the middle class, with many people taking up activities like yoga, hiking, and running for the first time.

According to data from Euromonitor, China's sportswear market will grow by 7% this year to $59 billion, far surpassing the forecasted growth rate of 0.8% for non-sports apparel and footwear. China is the world's second-largest sportswear market, second only to the United States.

While this is good news for market leaders Nike, Adidas, Anta, and Li-Ning, it is even better for high-priced brands like Lululemon and niche sports shoe brands On and Hoka. These brands tend to use social media influencers and community-oriented marketing rather than the traditional celebrity endorsements that big brands rely on.

"Many Chinese women are still unfamiliar with sports and feel a bit intimidated," said Ning Zheng, 33, a fitness model with thousands of followers on Xiaohongshu, a platform similar to Instagram. She stated that she has worked with almost all international sports brands operating in China to some extent.

"But if others in their yoga studio or running group, or people they follow online, are wearing a particular brand, they will believe that brand is beneficial for them," she added.