Nike and Adidas are back in the running shoe race
On and Hoka seized their chance when the sportswear giants lost ground. Now Nike and Adidas are accelerating again – and the challengers are starting to slow.
Nike and Adidas are regaining their footing in the running shoe market, having lost ground to smaller competitors such as On Holding and Hoka. The giants are accelerating their efforts, while the challengers are starting to slow down. Nike's running business is growing, with its latest earnings reporting a fifth straight quarter of double-digit sales growth.
Adidas also saw a 30% increase in running shoe sales in the first quarter. Established brands like Puma are also seeing growth in their running divisions, despite overall footwear sales falling. However, the newcomers are facing challenges, with On Holding's same-store direct-to-consumer growth slowing and Hoka's growth dropping to 4.6% last year.
Despite this, established brands may be regaining consumer preference, with more US shoppers choosing well-known sportswear brands over challengers. The global running market has seen almost double the expansion between 2018 and 2025, but the rate of growth has slowed down.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
