By Neil Stern

There is no denying the phenomenal increase in participation of women in competitive and casual sports. Some of this is legislative (Title IX) and some clearly buoyed by the growing acceptance and visibility of female athletes as role models.

Along with this participation comes an equally obvious increase in demand for the equipment, shoes, apparel and accessories needed to compete. Women's sporting goods is now projected by the NPD Group and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association to be a $17.4 billion business in 2004, an increase of nearly 11% in the past year alone.

Now comes the interesting part. It is widely regarded that traditional sporting goods stores are male bastions, designed for the needs of men, not women. And, indeed, most sporting goods stores feature a significantly smaller assortment of products specifically geared for women (acknowledging that much of the equipment and some apparel can be unisex). This has led to the development of female driven sporting good and apparel concepts. Consider these four (and there are several others):

• Lucy Activewear. Lucy's origins are fascinating; a failed Internet start-up that has emerged as bricks and mortar-from clicks to bricks. Where Lucy's original focus was very much on performance wear "support for every sport", we have watched the brand morph towards a more fashion forward proposition. Recent visits reveal a stronger emphasis on private brands and greater clarity around lifestyle segmentation-yoga, hiking, etc. than in prior years. Lucy now has 28 stores and is expanding into new markets like Dallas and Chicago. Perhaps more significantly, Lucy also recently received an equity transfusion from Chico's. With Chico's potential backing and real estate leverage, Lucy's could be poised to expand rapidly.
  
• Paiva. This is the very high profile start-up from Finish Line, which has received quite a bit of press in recent months. Paiva is designed to have more of a lifestyle feel, with emphasis on both performance and fashion oriented lines. We spotted plenty of traditional brands like Nike, Speedo and Puma as well as edgier lines like Stella McCartney from Adidas and LaCoste. Of course, there is more emphasis on foot wear in this store. We visited two Paiva locations, including the original in Austin. We felt it fell short of its promise of being an aspirational lifestyle store. While it was softer, the harsh lighting still gives it away as the "women's section" of an athletic store. We felt the assortment was a bit unfocused and overall we didn't feel the same passion that is evident at Lucy's, either in assortments or enthusiasm of its personnel. We view this entrant as a work in progress-we'll check back in a few months.
  
• Nike Women. Nike has also been expanding its Women stores, with 12 locations in very high profile malls across the country. Nike also has a catalog and website devoted to the Women concept, which features a lifestyle driven approach to women’s performance athletics. Nike does a spectacular job of visual merchandising and provides strong motivational messaging. Interestingly, Women has received the bulk of its retail focus of late, with NikeTown relatively stagnant in number. We also note the note so subtle shift from Goddess to Women, and wonder about the marketing insight that informed that shift.
  
• Lululemon. This is a Canadian firm based in Vancouver with 36 stores. They have been moving down the West Coast of the United States and just moved east with their first location in Chicago. The store, to be fair, is a little unisex, with the predominant focus on women. The Chicago location is segmented into two-sides—a performance side with a heavy focus on technical fabrics and activewear, with a focus on natural and organic fibers. The store has thoroughly thought through organization, geared by highest degree of performance to lowest with similar organization by size and price point.