As of this year, Nike no longer allows retailers to send orders of the sports brand abroad. The measure is part of the company’s strategy to gain more control over its own brand.
Within the EU, everything remains the same
Since yesterday, Nike is prohibiting its retail partners from shipping products internationally, Highsnobiety writes. In the meantime, the policy change has also been confirmed by several reputable resellers. “Although in the short term we may lose some business due to this new policy, I respect and understand this decision taken by Nike to protect the brand, which in turn will no doubt benefit us as a Nike stockist in the future”, Alvin Singfield of Attitude Inc, a British skateboard and streetwear store, told the same website.
For the sake of clarity: nothing will change in a single market such as the European Union – Dutch webshops will still be able to deliver to Belgian customers and vice versa. Nike is forced to do so under European legislation, which explicitly prohibits such internal restrictions.
Big brands like Nike are trying to gain increasing amounts of control over their own brand: the measure should be seen in that context. In November of last year, the sports brand withdrew from Amazon. By taking sales into its own hands, the sports brand can also monitor brand integrity much better.
