Corporate powerhouses are governing over which retailers can stock & sell their products often dispute older partners. This leads to retailers to have their contracts terminated & prompts smaller locations to suffer against largescale retailers like Walmart or Target financially. History has repeated itself for another sports-gear retailer in the Bronx. It’s been announced that Nike will stop supporting Frank’s Sports Shop in the Bronx. This revelation has shocked store owner, Moe Stein, who has kept Nike stock for five decades.
The boutique-based sports retailer was sent a formal letter from Nike, informing the elderly entrepreneur that stock shipments would be terminated effective immediately. Minor criticism has been evoked towards the Nike Company, who eliminated a vendor that’s supported their products since the late 1970s. That’s when Nike was known as “Blue Ribbon Sports”, back when their operations were small in-comparison to Adidas.
Moe Stein didn’t react positively to the formal letter issued by Nike. The owner of Frank’s Sports Shop contacted local media, requesting his story be told. Media divisions in the Bronx reported Nike terminating their partnership with Moe Stein. When questioned on his feelings, Stein would evoke that he supported Nike when they had nothing & made them famous throughout the Bronx. This neighbourhood has become a status symbol for Nike, with this decision turning their backs against the 1st shop that brought Blue Ribbon Sports from a small operation, into Nike’s large-scale corporation.
It should be mentioned that headlines regarding Nike’s removal of independent retails have gained from 2019 to 2020. It’s a corporate push to enable largescale sports gear providers to have more significant growth in the next decade. Nike claims its efforts are to create a “Direct-to-Consumer” approach. However, their decision is evoking the financial destruction of independent entrepreneurs.
Independent Retailers Saved by Adidas
Adidas has confirmed multiple times that they’re not following in the footsteps of Nike and will continue to support independent retailers during the next decade. Adidas believes that the “Bold Vision” created by Nike doesn’t accelerate consumer engagement but will prompt boycotts against their products throughout the Bronx & other regions in the United States. Nike is going full force into the digital era of consumerism, with Adidas guarantying that they’ll fight back by improving shipping & stock options for independent retailers.
