China, India and Brazil are now the strongest growth areas for cue sports, Stuart Gardiner of WSP Textiles has revealed.
Following further snooker club and pub closures in the UK and a “slow decline” elsewhere in Europe, companies such as WSP are turning their attention to new and emerging markets.
Although WSP is planning to exhibit at EAG International next month, cue sports are now only a small part of the event, Gardiner said.
“We now put all our efforts into the GBE show in China, which is the major global show for cue sports,” he told InterGame. “China has been growing for almost a decade and, despite a slowing of their economy, there is still a huge demand for highest quality, English-made cloth.”
India is already an established marketplace, he continued, adding that demand there is “only just starting to really take off.”
“As the professional game is gaining interest in India, demand is booming for professional, high-end products.” Brazil, meanwhile, is expected to be a real hot spot in the future.
“Brazil is exciting for us as there are a huge number of tables and players and only Brazilian-made, low quality cloth available,” Gardiner said. “I see this potentially becoming the next China.”
