Nike reshapes China retail in an attempt to revive sales

Résumé détaillé

The company will reopen a reinvented Nike Running store on Shanghai's Xinle Road on Nov 27. The store will combine product innovation, running expertise, training, and community…

Nike is closing older stores, introducing sport-specific formats, and streamlining online distribution in China, as the US sportswear giant steps up efforts to turn around its business in China — one of its most important markets.

The company is shifting away from smaller, general-purpose stores toward specialized formats catering to runners, basketball players, and outdoor enthusiasts, Cathy Sparks, vice president and general manager of Nike Greater China, said in an interview during the ninth China International Import Expo in Shanghai earlier this month.

"We have thousands of relatively small multi-sport stores that are no longer representing the best of our brands," Sparks said. "We'll be shutting those down and then reopening stores that are more focused on a specific consumer and the sports that they love."

The overhaul follows another challenging quarter for Nike in China, where revenue fell 26 percent on a currency-neutral basis in the first fiscal quarter that ended Aug 31.

Nike began laying the groundwork for its restructuring in July, announcing plans to streamline its digital distribution network in China and improve the quality of online sales.

In early October, the company followed with a broader organizational restructuring, bringing its China business into a combined Asia-Pacific and China leadership structure to strengthen regional collaboration and restore growth.

The changes come as Nike faces intensifying competition from international and domestic sportswear companies — including Anta Group and Li-Ning — while Chinese consumers have become more selective about products, pricing, and shopping experiences.

A central part of the overhaul is Nike's digital business, where the company plans to introduce major changes in January 2027. It aims to consolidate a network of roughly 2,000 online distribution points into a more focused presence built around flagship stores on Tmall, JD.com, and Douyin.

"We've done a lot of studying on what migration we can expect…

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