Sporting goods go beyond fun and games

Workers assemble stationary bikes at the factory of Xiamen K-Power Sports Co Ltd in Fujian province in May 2020. (Photo/China Daily)

Opportunities are growing for fitness equipment exporters in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, fueled by a fitness craze that has been further boosted by the recent summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Games sparked widespread fitness interest and encouraged more consumers to learn of new and more scientific ways of exercising, driving the growth of more customized fitness equipment, industry players said.

For quite some time, Xiamen has been playing a critical role in China's fitness equipment manufacturing sector. As Asia's largest production and export base for sports, fitness and massage therapy equipment, Xiamen has seen a mushrooming of advanced sporting goods makers, according to the local government.

From January to July, the export value of sporting goods and related equipment originating in Fujian reached 7 billion yuan ($992 million), up 15.41 percent year-on-year, said Xiamen Customs.

In particular, the export value of such products to North America hit 3.13 billion yuan, surging 17.19 percent. Exports to emerging markets such as Latin America, Africa and the Middle East also witnessed significant growth over the previous year, the Customs department said.

"Fitness equipment is mainly exported via maritime transport from Xiamen Port, while some products are also transported by air, road and rail," said Zheng Yajun, a Customs official in Jitong, which administers Jimei and Tong'an districts in Xiamen.

"Among Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership member states, Laos, Singapore and Malaysia stand as the three countries that have seen the highest year-on-year growth rates in the import value of fitness-related goods and equipment from Fujian," Zheng said.

RCEP is a trade deal among 15 Asia-Pacific nations that will help lower or eliminate tariffs and establish rules on trade and investment.

Over the seven-month period, the export value of sports equipment from Fujian to RCEP member countries rose 31.03 percent year-on-year to 1.62 billion yuan, while the export of fitness equipment to countries and regions in Asia reached 1.84 billion yuan, growing 34.61 percent, according to Xiamen Customs.

Thanks to a favorable industrial environment, coupled with strong research and development abilities of enterprises, Xiamen's exports of sports and fitness-related products have been leading in the province and gained recognition from consumers.

Private enterprises have been leading the export business. During the seven-month period, the export of fitness products and equipment by private enterprises from Fujian came in at 3.53 billion yuan, jumping 47.16 percent on a yearly basis, Xiamen Customs said.

Xiamen K-Power Sports Co Ltd, a major exporter of fitness products in Xiamen, mainly exports goods to Europe, North America and Southeast Asia. Its export business accounts for 70 percent of the company's total business.

In addition, the company's domestic sales make up about 30 percent of the total, and sales in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and Beijing have been robust, it said. Besides offline sales, the firm also operates online stores on major e-commerce platforms such as JD and Tmall.

Overseas-bounded sporting goods are loaded onto a truck in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, in October 2021.[Photo/China Daily]

The manufacturer produces 10 major categories of fitness equipment, including more than 600 varieties for both household and commercial use.

Its aerobic equipment includes fitness bikes, elliptical machines, spinning bikes, treadmills, rowing machines and step machines. Anaerobic equipment includes professional strength building-related equipment for middle-aged and senior consumers.

"Compared with local products overseas, our products boast higher quality and more reasonable prices. We basically export products to overseas agents and they will sell them locally, mainly to gyms," said Wei Qifan, special assistant to the general manager of Xiamen K-Power Sports.

"This year, we have seen higher export volumes of products to Europe, North America and Australia, and we mainly target the gym community. In particular, sales of stair climbers, commercially used exercise bikes and rowing machines jumped 5 to 10 percent year-on-year," Wei said.

Wei added that it's important for the company to maintain its client base and foster more new customers, and it will make more efforts to boost domestic and international sales simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Xiamen Xinkai Composite Materials Technology Co Ltd, a contract processing firm that helps manufacture products for renowned global firms, said all of its products, such as carbon fiber tennis rackets, have been exported overseas.

Leveraging the combined positive impact of multiple major sports events such as the Paris Olympics, the French Open and the Wimbledon championships, the company expects order volumes of its products — such as tennis rackets, bicycles and other sports products — to increase in the latter half.

Tennis has garnered wider attention in China after Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen made history by defeating Croatia's Donna Vekic and clinching the gold medal for women's singles at the Paris Olympic Games.

Xiamen Xinkai said that thanks to the huge popularity of the rising tennis star, the company believes that playing tennis is expected to become more commonplace in China, which will help drive sales of tennis rackets.

"We are bullish on the sales growth potential of tennis rackets in China, but we don't have plans to expand production capacity for now," said Chen Lizhan, manager of the management department at Xiamen Xinkai.

Tongda Smart Tech (Xiamen) Co Ltd, another manufacturer of sporting goods in Xiamen, has also seen its export business grow. The company's products cover more than 40 categories such as jump ropes, silicone water bottles, ice skates and archery gear.

Besides developing organically, the company cooperates with French sporting goods retailer Decathlon to jointly develop and design some products such as bluetooth intelligent jumping ropes, grips, luminous and windproof badminton equipment, and other products popular among consumers.

In the first quarter, the export value of sporting goods and equipment from Tongda Smart Tech jumped by 46 percent year-on-year, the company said.

In response to this year's growing export volume of fitness-related products, local Customs bureaus have established a specialized services counter to help resolve related issues. Xiamen Customs said it has continued to optimize its daily 24-hour appointment services for Customs clearance, and helped exporters achieve on-demand inspections upon arrival.

In addition, Xiamen Customs has launched various explanatory sessions for domestic companies to help them boost exports.

"Customs officials have introduced China's preferential trade agreement policies with other countries and regions to help guide domestic fitness equipment manufacturers clear Customs smoothly and enhance their competitiveness in exporting," Zheng of Xiamen Jitong Customs said.