Companies
22/12/2023

Nike Announces A $2 Billion Savings Plan And Lowers Sales Forecasts Due To Erratic Demand




Nike said it planned to reduce supplies of major product lines in order to control costs, sending its shares down 11%. The company also lowered its year sales projection, citing cautious consumer spending, a weaker online business, and increased promotions.
 
Over the next three years, the firm plans to save $2 billion by limiting the supply of some items, optimising its supply chain, cutting down on managerial layers, and utilising more automation.
 
Given the erratic demand and retailers' decreased order placement, Nike's wholesale business has been under constant pressure. The deficit is also evident in online sales, which forces the business to increase deals as the number of customers declines. As the economy has faltered, sales in China have also decreased.
 
"We are seeing indications of more cautious consumer behavior around the world," Nike's finance chief Matthew Friend said on a post-earnings call.
 
Nike reduced their previous estimate of mid-single-digit percentage growth to a forecast of 1% increase for the entire fiscal year. LSEG data indicates that a gain of 3.8% was anticipated by analysts.
 
"Nike's talking about reducing the number of products ... perhaps the company feels there are too many products that are not high-margin and not really generating significant sales," David Swartz, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, said.
 
However, in an effort to draw in customers, Nike claimed to be introducing newer models in addition to capitalising on the popularity of recently released basketball shoes including the Sabrina 1, LeBron 21, and Tatum 1.
 
"In an environment like this when the consumer is under pressure and the promotional activity is higher ... it's newness and innovation which causes the consumer to act ... that's what's going to pull us through a promotional marketplace," Friend said.
 
Nike anticipates that sales will be boosted by anticipated launches in the GT Cut, Book 1, and Kobe lines throughout the next three months.
 
Nike stated that sales of its renowned shoe lines, like the Air Force 1, Dunk, and Court, were strong, but company did not specify which product franchises it intended to discontinue.
 
For the fiscal second quarter that concluded on November 30, the company reported total sales of $13.39 billion, falling short of projections of $13.43 billion. A $1.03 per share profit beat projections of 85 cents because of lower freight and inventory costs.
 
Nike anticipates pre-tax restructuring expenses ranging from $400 million to $450 million in the third quarter as a result of the streamlining, mostly related to employee severance costs.
 
Nike's stock has increased by less than 5% so far this year, while the S&P 500 index has increased by 24% and rival Adidas has increased by 52.5%.
 
(Sourec:www.usnews.com)

Christopher J. Mitchell
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