Adidas Has Nearly Doubled Its U.S. Sneaker Market Share — At Nike’s Expense

The footwear industry market share numbers for May are out, and they tell the story of the ongoing Adidas comeback in America. According to data from retail researcher NPD Group, Nike’s share of the US athletic footwear market was 34.7% last month, a dip from 35.9% in May 2016. Jordan Brand, the Nike-owned basketball sneaker line, had 11.8% share, a dip from 14.8% in May 2016. Adidas? Its share nearly doubled year over year, from 6.3% in May 2016 to 11.3% in May 2017. (In case you’re wondering the next four by market share, it goes: Skechers with 6.3%; New Balance with 3.7%; Nike-owned Converse with 3.6%; and Under Armour at 2.4%.) What else happened in May? Nike’s overall sneaker sales dipped a couple percentage points. Under Armour’s sneaker sales dropped 19%. Adidas’s sneaker sales rose 74%. And in April, Adidas hit a record-high 13% share of this market and came in at No. 2, topping Jordan Brand for the first time in years. (Why did Adidas tick down from April to May? Market fluctuates from month to month, and it’s a zero-sum game where one brand’s rise means a dip for others; you basically can’t fairly compare share from month to month, only year over year.) Read more at Yahoo! Finance.