Academy pushes Nike and Jordan deeper into stores as performance running becomes a focus

Academy Sports + Outdoors is leaning harder into Nike and Jordan as it looks to build demand in footwear, particularly performance running, where the retailer expects momentum to continue. In remarks to Wall Street analysts following its first-quarter results, Academy chief executive Steven Lawrence described Nike as a “growth engine” for the chain and said the company is preparing an expansion of its performance running offering to roughly 150 store locations, about double the door count from a year earlier.

Academy tied the push to what it described as continued category growth across footwear. Lawrence said footwear sales rose 3 percent for the quarter, with growth helped by seasonal items and brands tied to summer categories. He also pointed to “cleated” footwear driven by baseball, and to seasonal performance businesses linked to Crocs and Birkenstock. On the performance running side, Academy said it expects demand to be supported by specific platforms and models, and that it intends to keep adding both assortment and dedicated space for those lines as the year progresses.

In performance running, Academy cited “key platforms” it is currently emphasizing, including Nike’s Vomero line. The CEO also mentioned other performance running platforms carried by the retailer, naming Adidas EVO SL, New Balance Ellipse, and Brooks Glycerin. The company’s strategy, as described on the call, is to increase the mix and physical presence devoted to running shoes, rather than treating running as a small sideline category.

Academy’s broader sales performance in the quarter also helped frame the company’s footwear message. Lawrence said outdoor was the best-performing category, up 12 percent, followed by sports and recreation, up 6 percent. Apparel rose 5 percent, with strength in outdoor and work-related categories. On the athletic side of the business, he attributed gains to continuing momentum in Nike and Jordan brand offerings, along with double-digit increases in better private brands.

The Nike and Jordan emphasis appears to be part of a wider retail effort to keep customers shopping in physical stores even as consumers face mixed economic indicates. Separate reporting around Academy’s outlook included a caution from Lawrence that elevated gas prices are a headwind for the American consumer, weighing on discretionary spending. In that context, the retailer said it will continue to emphasize value and expects its calendar to be supported by promotional and seasonal events, while also launching initiatives such as credit card relaunches and bringing in additional brands.

Taken together, the Nike and Jordan expansion strategy suggests Academy is trying to use branded athletic footwear to drive store traffic and improve conversion during peak footwear windows, especially the back-to-school period. By increasing placements to about 150 doors, Academy is effectively indicating that performance running is becoming more central to its in-store planogram, which can matter for shoppers comparing styles and technologies shelf by shelf.

What remains unclear from the disclosures is how much of the added store count will come through increased store-within-store space versus broader SKU expansion, or how Academy expects the Nike and Jordan rollout to perform relative to other brands in the category. The company also did not provide granular unit forecasts for Nike-specific models, nor did it quantify the margin impact of dedicating more floor space to performance running.