Mexico Sports Nutrition Market Research Report: Forecast (2022-27)

Market Definition

Sports nutrients include food products made using ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, vegetable starch, protein, etc., specially designed for athletes & bodybuilders to help them enhance their overall health & performance during their intense workouts by improving their nutritional intake. Thus, sports nutrition is a broad interdisciplinary field that focuses on the science behind & application of proper nutrition during exercise or athleticism.

Market Insights

The Mexico Sports Nutrition market is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 1.53% during the forecast period, i.e., 2022-27. The Mexico Sports Nutrition market witnessed considerable growth during 2017-2019, owing to the rising awareness among the residents & increased emphasis of the government to promote the adoption of a healthy lifestyle to overcome the growing prevalence of obesity among the residents. Sedentary lifestyles & consumption of ultra-high processed foods rich in sugar, salt, and calories are the prime factors contributing to a major share in mortality rates in the country. According to OECD, around 73% of Mexicans are overweight, with over 34% being morbidly obese, leading to a significant increase in illnesses such as diabetes & cardiovascular diseases.

Furthermore, to cope with the unprecedented crisis & reduce mortality rates in the country, the National Commission of Physical Culture and Sports announced the National Development plan in 2019 to promote a healthy lifestyle, exercise, sports activities, etc. This contributed to the demand for healthy dietary supplements in the country. Moreover, various state governments across Mexico made enormous contributions to promoting the national initiative.

• In 2020, Mexico’s southern state, Oaxaca, announced a ban on the sale of sugary drinks & high-calorie drinks & snacks to children to curb the high prevalence of obesity among children.

Key Trends in the Market

• E-commerce to Change the Consumer Buying Pattern

The shift in consumer preference from buying products through direct sales to online is anticipated to be a key trend in the Mexico Sports Nutrition market. This was majorly attributed to the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020. Furthermore, due to pandemics, the Mexican government encouraged the citizens to stay at home, which led to a shift in consumer purchasing habits from offline to online, with a preference for home deliveries.

In addition, the channel has been boosted by the fact that sports nutrition products are now available from an increasingly wide array of online sources. These not only include pure-play e-commerce retailers such as Amazon & Linio, and the online sales portals of store-based chains such as GNC & Walmart, but also specialist websites such as suplementosfitness.com.mx, captainnutrition.mx & nutritiondepot.com.mx.

Another factor driving the online demand is that specialist websites often carry direct imports, which are not available via more mainstream channels. Despite this, the increasing adoption of e-commerce channels by consumers for purchasing products has resulted in a double market share in 2020 & a steep rise was shown in 2021. Therefore, it is expected that this growing trend would further prevail in the upcoming years.

Impact of COVID-19 on Mexico Sports Nutrition Market

The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 resulted in enormous fundamental uncertainties related to health & macroeconomics as well as interrupting commercial & economic activity. Sports nutrition sales in Mexico were negatively affected by the pandemic in the first quarter of 2020 due to fewer visits to stores, hence, the demand was decreased. The outbreak also affected the 2020 sports events in the country & disrupted the program. There was a delay & cancellation of sports events like Concacaf Champions League, Ascenso MX, and Women's League 2020.

Consequently, resulting in decreased sales of sports supplements & sports nutrition such as protein bars, probiotics, whey proteins, creatine, etc. In addition, the temporary closure of gyms & fitness centers due to the health contingency derived from the COVID-19 in the country created drastic short-term changes to the Sports Nutrition market in 2020.

Further, in the latter half of 2020, the growing apprehensions of the population regarding their health increased their dependence on the usage of plant-based products & clean label products, which positively impacted the country's Sports Nutrition market. As per the Herbalife Nutrition report, the net sales in Mexico sports nutrition products in 2020 increased by 4.1%. This led the other product segments such as sports supplements & sports food upward in the latter half of 2020. In 2021, with the growing business environment, the setup of new fitness centers, gyms, and the opening of retail stores are anticipated to further escalate the market growth.

Market Segmentation

By Product Type

• Sports Drink
• Sports Supplements
• Sports Foods

Of them all, the Sports drinks captured a considerable share in the Mexico Sports Nutrition market during the historical period. Sports drink usage has increased with the growing number of sports aspirants across Mexico. Among sports drinks, the demand for isotonic sports drinks is relatively high among athletes as this is beneficial in speeding up recovery & reducing exhaustion. Besides, these drinks contain approximately 5%-8% carbohydrates and are intended to be consumed during exercise or exposure to heat.

Furthermore, the major factors contributing to the growth of the soft drink market include growing awareness among consumers regarding the adverse consequences of daily consumption of high-sugar soft drinks & the increasing number of fitness centers. Hence, it is expected that these key factors would further accelerate the sports drinks market in the forthcoming period.

By Distribution Channel

• Supermarkets/Hypermarkets
• Specialty Stores
• Convenience Stores
• Fitness Institutions
• Online Stores
• Other Distribution Channels

Among them, the Supermarkets solely dominated the Sports Nutrition market in 2021. With the growing hypermarkets & supermarkets, as well as the growing middle-class population's interest in sports, Mexico is gradually consolidating its unorganized retail sector. In 2021, the total number of stores of Walmart touched 2,634 in Mexico. As per National Statistics Institute (INEGI), the total middle-class households stood at around 42% of the total households in the country in 2021, that is, an increase of around 4% during 2019-21.

In addition, the purchase pattern of middle-class consumers is also undergoing a paradigm shift. According to the European Commission, more than one-third of the Mexican population preferred to shop in supermarkets & hypermarkets in 2021, and this number is registering an uptrend. While 48% of the middle-class Consumer preferred to shop for their groceries & other household items from supermarkets.

Therefore, the sales of sports nutrition products from supermarkets & hypermarkets, in Mexico are also surging over the past few years. Furthermore, the same trend is anticipated to prevail in the forthcoming years too.

By End User

• Athletes
• Bodybuilders
• Recreational Users
• Lifestyle Users

Of them all, the Fitness & Sports industry has shown exponential growth during the historical period. The rising fitness industry has positively impacted the Sports Nutrition market due to the increase in the number of athletes & bodybuilder aspirants across Mexico. In addition, the increasing demand for dietary & health supplements, including sports drinks, protein bars, energy bars, omega-3, and other fitness supplements among athletes & bodybuilders, has stipulated the market of sports nutrition in Mexico. In 2020, as per the IHRSA State of the Mexican Health and Fitness Industry, about 12,871 Mexican fitness facilities are operating in Mexico, which generated an estimated total revenue of about USD1.87 billion in 2019.

Moreover, the rising gym facilities in the country, as well as growing awareness regarding fitness among athletes & bodybuilders, have necessitated the demand for fitness supplements, which, in turn, accelerated the market of sports nutrition during 2017-21.

By Social Class

• Upper Income Group
• Middle Income Group
• Lower Income Group

Among the three, the Middle Income Group accounts for the largest share in terms of population size in the country. The rising disposable income is one of the prime reasons that empowers the middle-class population to consume sports food & supplements that ultimately fuel the demand for sports nutrition in Mexico. Besides, the rising retail infrastructure facilitates is also enabling the market growth of sports nutrition among middle-class groups in the country as a wide range of sports nutrition products are available in the nearby supermarkets & specialized stores such as Walmart & and Soriana. Furthermore, the growing disposable income would likely expand awareness regarding health & its benefits, innovation, and product availability across the region, during the forecast years.

Market Dynamics:

Key Drivers: Opening of Gyms during Post COVID-19 Recovery

After seeing solid current value growth during most of the review period, sports nutrition saw a negligible decline in 2020 due to the temporary closure of gyms & the negative economic impact of measures taken to control COVID-19. The loss of jobs & pay cuts forced consumers to reduce their spending, leading to a prioritization of necessities & fewer purchases of sports nutrition products. Besides, those who continued to buy often traded down to less expensive brands. Furthermore, many people slowed down their training pace, therefore, their demand for sports nutrition lessened, leading to volume declines in most categories.

Moreover, the outburst of COVID-19 negatively affected the dietary intake, fitness, and training of athletes, bodybuilders, and lifestyle users as the closure of gyms & fitness centers resulted in the reduction of their physical activity. Hence, this increased the problem of overweight & other health-related issues among the population, which as a result showed a steep decline in the Sports Nutrition market. However, as the situation recovered post-COVID-19, the gym owners started their fitness facilities which have been motivating the athletes, bodybuilders, and other fitness-oriented individuals to regain their interest in sports nutrition, fitness, and losing weight. Consequently, this post-COVID-19 recovery countersigned the strongest growth for sports protein powders & protein/energy bars, as consumers are more focused on their physical progress & health. Thus, these initiatives intensified the Sports Nutrition market in Mexico on a large scale.

Potential Challenges: High Obesity Rate to Hamper the Market Growth

Obesity is one of the major health concerns among the population of Mexico, where around 72% of the adults are affected by overweight & obesity. Furthermore, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, during 2020-2050, diseases related to being overweight are anticipated to contribute around 8%-9% of the total health expenditure.

Additionally, the key factor for the rising obesity rate in the country is attributed to the low physical activity of the population. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, around 57.9% of the population, aged 18 years & above do not participate in any physical activity. This was accounted for due to the lack of time, fatigue from work, or health problems. Hence, this has been one key challenge that restricts the expansion of the consumption of sports nutrition in the country.

However, the factors, including growing government initiatives to combat obesity in the country, adoption of healthy lifestyle routine, and participation of consumers in physical activities, are expected to flourish the Sports Nutrition market in the upcoming years.

Key Questions Answered in the Market Research Report:

1. What are the overall statistics or estimates (Overview, Market Size- By Value, Forecast Numbers, Segmentation, Market Shares) of the Mexico Sports Nutrition Market?
2. What are the country-wise industry size, growth drivers, and challenges?
3. What are the key innovations, opportunities, current & future trends, and regulations in the Mexico Sports Nutrition Market?
4. Who are the key competitors, their key strengths & weaknesses, and how do they perform in the Mexico Sports Nutrition Market based on the competitive benchmarking matrix?
5. What are the key results derived from surveys conducted during the Mexico Sports Nutrition Market study?