Net sales for Precor, Woodinville, WA, increased 11 percent in local currencies in second quarter 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.
Amer Sports, the Helsinki, Finland-based parent company of Precor, reported that net sales for its fitness segment was EUR56.4 million ($70.5 million) in second quarter 2012 compared to EUR45.9 million ($57.3 million) in the same period last year.
Sales for the commercial business (clubs and institutions) were up by 10 percent in local currencies. Consumer business (home use) was up by 16 percent.
Geographically, sales for the Amer Sports fitness segment were up especially in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) segments, as a result of investments in sales and distribution. Sales in EMEA were EUR14.5 million ($18.2 million) in second quarter 2012 compared to EUR11 million ($13.8 million) in second quarter 2011, an increase of 26 percent in local currencies. For the Americas, net sales increased 6 percent in local currencies from EUR36.7 million ($46 million) in second quarter 2012 compared to EUR30.8 million ($38.6 million) in the same period last year.
Net sales for Amer Sports was EUR358.8 million ($448.6 million) in second quarter 2012 compared to EUR315.6 million ($394.6 million) in the same period last year. In local currencies, net sales increased 5 percent, driven by double-digit growth in not only fitness, but also in its apparel and sports instruments segments.
For the first six months of 2012, net sales for Amer Sports was EUR843.6 million ($1.055 billion) compared to EUR764.7 million ($956 million) for the first six months of 2011. In local currencies, net sales increased by 6 percent.
“We achieved solid growth in the second quarter, despite deterioration in trading conditions, especially in Europe, where several major retailers are reducing inventories and pre-orders,” Heikki Takala, president and CEO of Amer Sports, said in a statement. “We continued to improve our gross margins and to drive cash flow through working capital reduction.”
(Conversions from Euros to dollars are based on exchange rates on Aug. 24, 2012.)