With ‘Yeezy’, ‘NMD’ and the ‘Ultra Boost’ becoming the “must have” sneaker for the second summer running, is the Adidas Boost line overtaking Nike and in particular, the Jordan brand?
Market researchers NPD Group in the USA seem to think so.
According to a report published by Yahoo Finance via the NPD Group, Adidas nearly doubled its stateside business from May 2016 to May 2017, something that isn’t that surprising considering the vast amount of NMD and Ultra Boost releases over the timeframe.
Mix that with the release of the Yeezy V2 ‘Zebra’ and ‘Creme White’ in March and April, respectively and the popularity is sure to grow.
Adidas went from a 6.3 percent to 11.3 percent market share during that period of time, while Nike dipped from 35.9 percent to 34.7 percent and the Jumpman 23 brand, who work within Nike fell from 14.8 to 11.8.
In May alone, Nike’s overall sales declined a couple percentage points, while Adidas’ sneaker sales rose 74 percent. A month earlier, Adidas actually surpassed Jordan after hitting a record 13 percent market share, which dipped due to the market fluctuation.
In the financial year, Nike have relied heavily on re-releases in the financial year with new colourways making brief appearances. The release in December, 2016 of the Jordan XI ‘Space Jam’ saw Nike’s stock rise along with the ‘Air Max’ month in March but sales have not gone to their liking.
Despite the drops, Nike is still the most dominant brand in sportswear, including sneakers. But Adidas continues to make steady progress and is narrowing Nike’s lead.
NPD’s Matt Powell cites casual sportswear as one of the biggest factors, with Adidas leading in the category and Nike not even appearing in his year-to-year breakdown.
May 2017 Top 5 Casual Athletic Brands
Adidas 23% share +209%
Skechers 20% share +39%
Converse 12% shr +0%
Sperry 4%shr +34%
Keds 2%shr +2%— Matt Powell (@NPDMattPowell) June 21, 2017
Adidas have made significant gains this year and they show no signs of slowing down with more releases due. The Nike takeover is ambitious at the moment, but passing Jumpman 23 on a consistent basis is a realistic goal.
And they’re doing it.
Photo: Highsnobiety
