MJ played his last NBA game more than a decade ago in 2003, but his star appeal among today’s young basketball consumers is widening the athletic footwear silhouette’s popularity and pushing Nike’s segment dominance into the stratosphere. Now, with another league season upon us, the looming industry question is: Can any other athletic brand hope to make a dent in the Nike/Jordan dominance of the category, especially among the current crop of young players/consumers?
NPD said athletic and outdoor footwear retail sales grew 5% to $3.0 billion for the 14 weeks ended Sep. 20, and dollar sales for the three weeks ended Sep. 27 increased 9% to $468.5 million with the basketball category experiencing 48% growth to an estimated $113 million to account for nearly 25% of all athletic footwear sales. Basketball shoe sales rose 31% in units and $9 in AUR.
A recent report from Stern Agee, citing SportScanInfo data, shows that Nike’s re-launch of Jordan 14 product, including the white/black Retro 14 on Sep. 20 that was the top-selling basketball shoe over a four-week period, ignited brand Jordan sales. In September, weeks before the start of another NBA season, Brand Jordan sales soared more than 41% with a 12% higher ASP compared to a 9.5% sales gain and 7.0% ASP hike for Nike basketball shoes. Combined, Stern Agee pointed out, Nike and Brand Jordan sales were up 28.6% in Sep. and 19.4% over the trailing 13 weeks. Kids’ basketball sales in national retail accounts, where Nike and Jordan products currently represent 90% of basketball sales, outpaced the category’s overall growth with a 10% ASP gain and a nearly 36% increase in sales. Jordan styles accounted for 11 of the 15 best-selling basketball shoes last month with Nike, including the LeBron 11 and KD7 (Kevin Durant) for both men and kids, taking the other four spots. In total, the Top 15 basketball shoes in September sold 32% more units than their Sep. 2013 counterparts, generated more than 55% more in revenue, and a 17% higher ASP at $145.91.
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