Outdoor industry's market value hits 11b yuan in 2011

China's outdoor industry reached a market value of 11 billion yuan ($1.74 billion) in 2011, a year-on-year jump of more than 40 percent, according to ISPO Beijing Expo, a sports goods commerce and trade platform, which was launched on Feb 27.

The company did not provide figures for 2012, but said that there was a double-digit growth rate.

Industry observers said that China's outdoor segment has been growing fast as consumers are increasingly discovering their love for nature, their desire to spend time outdoors and to explore a life with a more balanced work-life approach.

International players are already eyeing the sector.

"In 2012, Adidas Outdoor began to set up franchised stores in a number of Chinese cities, a key step for Adidas in fully developing the Chinese outdoor market. We aim to drive our business to 500 million euros ($653.45 million) by 2015," said Jens Meyer, vice-president of marketing with Adidas Sport Performance China.

Meanwhile, Chinese sportswear giant Li Ning on Wednesday said it will enter the outdoor industry by kicking off its new product line Li-Ning Adventure.