Retail golf prices in the UK in January fell by just over 1.6% according to the latest figures from the Golfalot Price Index. With the exception of shoes, which rose by 7%, every other sector of the market was down. The biggest fallers were utility clubs down 7% and fairway woods down 3.5%, with most other categories falling by around 2%. This can be attributed to discounting of older models in preparation for new 2007 ranges that have been launched, but have yet to appear in UK stores and pro-shops.
In the USA the Golfalot Price Index of retail prices fell by 1.9% despite some of the new Callaway square drivers appearing in the market. Golf balls was the only positive category with a 4.3% rise as new balls from Nike, Srixon and Dunlop hit the shelves. On the downside, the big losers were trolleys falling 9% and fairway woods falling 8.6%, with drivers and utilities both down over 4% too.
With the PGA Merchandise Show taking place this week in Orlando, we should see more product launches and therefore more new products in the shops soon, which should hopefully have a positive effect on the UK and USA indexes over the next couple of months.
The Golfalot Price Index recently launched a USA price index to complement its UK price index to allow the golf industry to compare price trends on both sides of the Atlantic. The USA index operates in the same way as the UK index by tracking the prices of the latest model(s) from each manufacturer are chosen as they reach the market. Therefore the models tracked always reflect pricing on what the serious golfer wants – the latest technology. Prices are taken from Golfalot.com’s market leading golf equipment price comparison service in the UK and USA.
For more detailed information view Price Index graphs for the UK & USA online at www.golfalot.com/priceindex
Contact:
Martin Hopley
Tel: +44 (0) 131 453 1990
www.Golfalot.com
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