THE GEARTRENDS®
FITNESS SUMMER 2005 MAGAZINENo other magazine is more widely read, more frequently added to retail staff libraries, and more consistently passed from buyer-to-buyer and even on to store staff than the GearTrends® magazines are -- Summer Outdoor, Winter Outdoor and Fitness.
Welcome
to the GearTrends® Fitness Summer 2005 magazine -- issued
to the trade August 2005. As a GearTrends® website
visitor – you
now have direct access to the same market-leading editorial, feature
articles and product information that industry professionals have come
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12 FROM PASSION TO PROFIT | SPECIAL FEATURE Fitness is evolving into a big business as the passionate innovators give way to investors and corporate enterprises. What's it all mean? Consolidation, of course.
16 GET IN THE GAME | EXERGAMING As the previously divergent worlds of electronic games and exercise collide, perhaps exergaming is a category the fitness industry should pay more attention to so it can attract new -- and younger -- customers while keeping current ones interested.
20 NERVES OF STEEL | SPECIAL FEATURE With prices on the rise for the last two years, GearTrends® looks at the effect steel pricing is having on the fitness industry and how it's impacting the bottom line of retailers and manufacturers.
28 NO PASSING FANCY | ELLIPTICALS After 10 years on the market, the elliptical is still going strong as one of the hottest categories in cardio equipment, and it's now even breathing down the neck of the treadmill for the top spot.
32 PASSION PAYS OFF | MARKETING Stand behind a cause that also evokes customers' emotions and they'll make a beeline to patronize your store because of the tie they feel to you and your brand -- perhaps even if prices are lower elsewhere.
34 A NEW DIMENSION | FUNCTIONAL TRAINERS With widespread acceptance from trainers, health clubs and the media, functional trainers are freely moving on the path to success and to becoming a true strength staple.
38 MAKING YOUR MARK | BRANDING Your store needs a solid branding identity if you don't want to blend into the crowd. We show you how.
40 ON THE CASE | LAW REVIEW Summaries of the latest legal cases and issues in the fitness world from the Law Review division of SNEWS®
42 2005 FITNESS RETAIL SURVEY Now it its third year, our annual fitness retailer survey gets the real scoop from retailers on the state of their business.
48 THE PRODUCT ZONE The place to look to see the freshest fitness gear, equipment and accessories on the market today. It's all in da' zone -- the GearTrends® Product Zone that is.