“I cannot give figures, but the opening of this store and the new offices were the largest investments we made this year in Argentina”, explained in dialogue with Area Rodrigo Amenábar, director of Nike Direct for Southern Cone, responsible for the brand’s own stores.
At the same time, Nike’s expansion in the country gives rise to encourage investments by its national suppliers in three main lines: sneakers, sportswear and socks. Footwear manufacturing is carried out by Grupo Dass at its plant in Eldorado, Misiones. Sportswear (cotton t-shirts and sweaters) are provided by RA Intertrading from Villa Lugano. And the stockings are manufactured by Derwill in Malvinas Argentinas. Together they employ almost 1,000 people, plus the 500 direct employees that Nike has to operate its stores and offices.
While Nike’s suppliers also produce for other brands (Adidas and Under Armor, among the best known), the pipe brand absorbs more than 60% of that production. It does not only do it for its stores in Argentina, but also to supply itself in Chile, Uruguay and Brazil.
“The quality of Argentine textile products has nothing to envy to other countries. In addition, chains such as Nike require a product to be approved before accepting it to match its quality throughout the world. The problem is that the national production does not have sufficient scale to supply all that demand, ”the textile entrepreneur and president of the Proteger Foundation, Yeal Kim, explained to Ámbito during the opening of the store at Abasto Shopping.
The relevance of having national suppliers was also a fact highlighted by Rodrigo Amenábar, in an international context where logistics and production problems abound (such as the notorious case of Vietnam) since the pandemic broke out.
Although more than 90% of the products offered in Nike stores are still imported, as the chain expands (either through its own stores or through franchises) national production is favored. With the Nike Rise store, the company already has 11 stores of its own in the country and 18 with partners, its director listed. In Chile it has 7 of its own and 18 franchises. And in Uruguay it has 2 of its own and 5 franchises.
New concept
“Despite the advancement of e-commerce during the pandemic, retail did not die. Now we are moving towards omnicality and that requires offering new shopping experiences to customers ”, Rodrigo Amenábar explained. And that’s what the Nike Rise concept points to: the interaction between the physical and digital universe, as seen in the brand new Abasto store.
For example, it uses 30 iPhone devices to serve the public and take the product that the customer requests immediately from the warehouse to the showroom. It incorporates customization systems such as Nike By You (footwear customization); Nike Fit (measurement of shoe size through an application), a concept that also applies to its line of sports bras. In addition, its Expert Sessions service allows personalized sessions with experts to recommend products and styles to the buyer.
Source From: Ambito
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