Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/907660
110 runninginsight.com © 2017 Formula4media LLC. lenges we may have had in the past with Nike, we're confident that we're aligned in our focus on the customer and on de- livering great experiences and value at the grassroots level. Nike said something that really resonates with us, and that is that mediocre retail will be going away. As a country, we're completely over-retailed, and customers now more than ever have the opportunity to be discerning and purposeful when it comes to how and where they shop. That just means it's incumbent on us to continue to create exceptional retail experiences that provide lasting value that people want to participate in. It's less about selling products and stores, and more about creating productions and becoming great storytellers so that customers have a reason beyond commodity to interact with our brand." Matt Powell, analyst, The NPD Group "I think it's the right thing to do, but it's going to be painful for them. I keep coming back to the Sports Authority bankruptcy. [When we analyzed the sales figures], we were able to account for a third going to other retailers, a third going to the Web, and a third of the sales just disappeared. I'm not making the claim it would be a third, but if for every store you close you're not able to replace [a portion of ] that volume, quickly, how do you make that up? Especially if your core business is not very good right now. If you go back to 2015, Nike was 10 times the size of Adidas in the U.S. This year, they're 3.5 times the size. Is there a huge gap still? Yeah, but it's much smaller than it used to be. There's a retail malaise going on right now and Nike is the biggest factor. This is going to be very tricky to execute." David Robinson, buyer, St. Alfred "We've had a long-term partnership in the realm of boutiques — they have allowed and still allow us to get access to that top-tier product. Demand has been growing again. The demand had plateaued for a bit, with the landscape of other com- petitors and releases and collaborations, but from what I've seen just from a consumer standpoint and as a buyer, there's greater interest in what people are checking for. With the announcements that they're partnering with Amazon and that they'll be selling a lot directly themselves, that would scare a lot of mom-and-pop, small boutiques. We're fortunate that we don't rely solely on our footwear: We have a good clothing business and our in-house brand, and that allows us to take chances on a few silhouettes. And in those shifts where [styles] are available online, we're happy to have it to bring to consumers, but we're not as dependent on, 'We need to get this out the door to keep the lights on." Frank Gibbons, buyer, Sam's Outdoor Outfitters "They're underestimating the proclivity of Americans to go touch and feel and the Internet hasn't proven really good at that yet. And they're ignoring the digital divide, which on the street level in rural America is super real. There are places without cell phone service, without high- speed Internet, and at some point there's a certain portion [of shoppers] that will push back. Without your presence [in stores] you will cease to be relevant to them. That could make way, especially in certain niche markets, for other brands." n Nike (continued)