SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Nike forecasts reversal in North America sales decline, tops estimates

The company said it expected revenue in North America to be flat in the fourth quarter and return to growth in the first half of fiscal 2019.

Nike forecasts reversal in North America sales decline, tops estimates
(Reuters)

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Skip to article content

Shares of the Dow component rose about 3 percent in extended trading. They had closed down 3 percent at $64.42 in regular trading on reports that William Ackman's Pershing Square had exited the company with a profit of about $100 million (£70.8 million).

"As we close Q3, we now see a significant reversal of trend in North America," CEO Mark Parker said in a statement.

North America has been a weak spot for Nike as the company battled tough competition from a resurgent Adidas and as the bankruptcies of sporting goods retailers Sports Authority and Sports Chalet weighed on its supply chain.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Revenue in the region has declined for three straight quarters, including a 6 percent drop in the latest quarter.

In response, Nike has pivoted toward selling directly to customers and has partnered with Amazon.com Inc.

Nike is also banking on its strength in innovation.

With more innovation in the Nike Air range, Parker said on a post-earnings call that he expected to grow the business by "several billion dollars over the next few years."

"The greater scale of these platforms will create greater impact on our business into Q4 and beyond."

The company's international business continued to perform well, with all three regions reporting growth in the third quarter.

China sales jumped 24.3 percent and the company plans to maintain the momentum through the launch of NikePlus membership in the Asian country in the first quarter of fiscal 2019.

Nike reported a net loss of $921 million, or 57 cents per share in the three months ended Feb. 28, compared with a profit of $1.14 billion, or 68 cents per share, a year earlier.

The company recorded a one-time charge of $2 billion in the reported quarter related to the recently enacted U.S. tax law.

Excluding the charge, the company earned 68 cents per share, beating expectations of 53 cents.

Revenue rose 6.5 percent to $8.98 billion, also above estimate of $8.85 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world