I’ve ‘filled the gap’, thank you
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – L. Cohen Outfitters Est 1912 was the first independent in Wynberg to acquire the Nike brand, a situation that we held for a number of years before Nike's policy changed to supplying numerous stores in close proximity.
Those were the good years.
The World didn't end when they advised that they would be terminating our contract (to be fair they gave us two and a half years notice). In a way I benefitted, in that I was relieved of the constant pressure of committing to orders and large monthly monetary settlements to maintain the status quo.
I have, since, adequately "filled the gap" by stocking more economic-friendly lines which in today's climate is working out to be more viable.
Over the last few years and especially after the Covid scare, the business climate has had a distinct downturn internationally and I am, therefore, not surprised that brands like Nike have suffered accordingly.
- Relationships have to be more equalCape Town, W. Cape, SA – I’m sure Nike’s decision to drop so many retailers can’t have helped their recent performance, but I don’t know how much damage that did to them.It was mostly motivated by the opportunity to double their markup – that’s the only reason that makes sense. But what they didn& ...moreSpringbok sponsors – and as a sports shop we can’t get a single jerseyPort Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA – What we hear is that both Nike and Adidas are losing sales internationally.Here, however, we’re affected by Nike’s Springbok sponsorship deal – as a sports shop, we can’t get a single Springbok rugby jersey or replica shirt. We couldn’t get them during the World Cup, we cou ...moreTheir strategy hasn’t unfolded as they expectedCape Town, W. Cape, SA – Yes, Nike has been down this road before. Their current new Global Strategy to streamline their distribution was implemented and we independent businesses were out of their bigger plan. This sadly led to many independent retailers, dependent onNike, Adidas, NB, etc., to close down or to downscale their opera ...moreOthers have taken their placeLouis Trichardt, Limpopo, SA – I do think their drop in business is because they have sidelined all the independents. After all, it was the independents that grew the brand, not the chain groups. With this being said, all other companies have taken advantage and grown to another level. One of those is Puma which has grown so much an ...more
- Has Nike’s greed come back to haunt it?Early in July, international media carried reports about a steep fall in Nike’s share price following disappointing results. One was Sky News, which headlined a report: ‘How a series of blunders brought Nike's share price to COVID lows and meant it's being beaten by younger rivals.The iconic sportswear brand has switched away ...more
Footwear Industry Articles
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Leather Industry Articles
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PPE Industry Articles
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