Last Year, Domestic Tennis Market Size Reached 300 Billion KRW
Active Product Launches and Marketing Activities in Fashion Industry
As the recent tennis craze intensifies, the fashion industry is fiercely competing to capture the attention of 'Tereni (Tennis + Children).' This comes amid observations that a 'tennis boom' will follow golf, as the growth of the golf wear market gradually slows down.
According to industry sources on the 17th, the domestic tennis population was estimated to reach 600,000 as of last year. The size of the domestic tennis market also grew significantly from 250 billion KRW in 2021 to 300 billion KRW last year. Experts analyze that this is due to the influx of the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), who had entered the golf market after COVID-19, moving en masse to the tennis market.
Fila Korea held the '2023 White Open Seoul' for two days from the 7th to the 8th [Photo provided by Fila Korea]
The domestic fashion industry is also focusing its efforts on targeting the tennis wear market. For example, Fila Korea transformed Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul into a large tennis court for two days from the 7th to the 8th, hosting the new-concept tennis festival '2023 White Open Seoul.' Numerous visitors to the event experienced Fila’s tennis wear and equipment firsthand through various experiential and lesson programs. In March, Fila also officially launched the 'Tiebreaker Collection' to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its tennis line. The Tiebreaker Collection is tennis wear that sponsors players participating in the 2023 BNP Paribas Open, a world-renowned tennis tournament.
There is also active movement to relaunch tennis brands with history and tradition in line with recent trends. Kolon Industries FnC Division (Kolon FnC) announced on the 5th that after a three-year restructuring period, it plans to relaunch the sports brand 'Head' this month. Kolon FnC intends to leverage the unique strengths of Head, one of the world's top three tennis racket brands, to newly launch it as a tennis and ski brand.
On the 11th, F&F entered the competition by announcing plans to newly launch the premium tennis brand 'Sergio Tacchini.' Sergio Tacchini is a premium sportswear brand founded in 1966 by Italian tennis champion Sergio Tacchini, named after himself, and is recognized as a representative brand with history and tradition in the tennis wear market. After acquiring the global headquarters of Sergio Tacchini in July last year, F&F has been steadily preparing for its relaunch for about a year. The company plans to open its online shopping mall in mid-month and sequentially enter major department stores and large premium shopping malls from the end of this month.
An industry insider said, "As young people leave the golf market due to high prices and other factors and enter the tennis market, competition among fashion companies to target the tennis market is intensifying," adding, "Since the tennis market is expected to grow rapidly starting this spring, related product launches and marketing activities are also expected to be actively carried out in the industry."
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