N China's Dingzhou at center of burgeoning domestic sporting goods sector

The production value of Dingzhou city's sporting goods industry, a key industrial cluster in the counties of North China's Hebei province, surged 128.6 percent year-on-year to 8.28 billion yuan ($1.29 billion) in the first half of this year.

In looking at the industry as a whole, the domestic market share of the city's fitness-related products and sporting goods reached over 25 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, its strength training equipment products are already exported to more than 50 countries and regions, including Europe, the US and Australia, with a global market share of 25 percent.

China’s booming sports economy reflects the country’s ambitious goal to advance its national fitness campaign, a key goal stated in the Outline for Building a Leading Sports Nation. In anticipation of new business opportunities, Dingzhou-based Jintelisi Sports Facilities Co., Ltd. established two new departments in 2018.

"Thanks to the fitness craze, various regions started to build new stadiums and promoted ice and snow sports, which have become our new growth points,” said Wang Gang, deputy general manager of Jintelisi.

In contrast to a 20 percent drop in the company's production of traditional sports equipment used at schools, whose share of production has dropped to around 40 percent, those products used at sporting facilities expanded to capture a roughly 50 percent share of the company’s overall production. Wang attributes these ongoing changes in the company’s production to the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, in addition to an official announcement relating to sports equipment standards at schools.

"It is an honor for our brand to become a supplier of protective goods for the Winter Olympics," said Yang Long, vice-general manager of Tianhua Sporting Goods Co., Ltd. in Dingzhou, an official supplier of protective pads for short track speed skating for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Thanks to the rising popularity of winter sports, the company's sales soared from about 10 million yuan in 2018 to more than 20 million yuan last year, and its share of the domestic market for protective pads used at ice stadiums reached more than 70 percent, introduced Yang.

"People from different countries or regions, of different ages and of either gender have their own requirements for the shape and color of dumbbells. We devoted a lot of effort to their design,” said Shi Lizhu, general manager at the Hengda Fitness Stationery Group Co., Ltd. in Dingzhou.

Shi added that while consumers from East Asia prefer to purchase “exquisite” dumbbells, those in the Middle East have a preference for golden-colored ones. This kind of targeted design based on international market analysis enables Hengda to seize a larger share of the global market.

Furthermore, as more and more consumers seek to embrace a more active and healthier lifestyle, the design for such equipment will shift the focus in a greener, smarter and more personalized direction.

In view of the fitness facilities typically found in communities, last year, Hebei Wilt Sporting Goods Co., Ltd. decided to develop a set of hi-tech sporting equipment, offering users a more interactive and entertaining experience during their exercise routine.

"I really like the smart exercise facilities at the public square,” said Zhang Hongxin, a Dingzhou resident.

At present, the Dingzhou sporting goods industry continues to actively cooperate with R&D institutions as well as institutions of higher learning for the development of talents, seeking to make new breakthroughs in technological research and promote new product development.