Nike Eyes China growth, with an outdoor sports renewal in the center

Nike's thrust to the outdoor recreation market, which will begin on Monday with the launch of a new running shoe, will prove if you can turn a little known submarket into a significant growth engine.

The sportswear giant plans to present a version of its Ultrafly Senderos running shoe, marked under its outdoor submarket, ACG, at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, an ultramarathon in France that begins on Monday, said Nike Jay Paavonpera spokesman.

It is part of Nike's impulse to reposition ACG as a serious player in the race performance. In more general terms, the movement is in line with the strategy of the Elliott Hill CEO to forward the Nike brand around central sports such as running at a time when its domain is being challenged by smaller rivals.

Nike is playing so much in outdoor recreation, which has increased from the pandemic, and in China, where the population has led to outdoor activities as paths that run big. The company's lagging performance in both markets is directed in some way to explain why its participation in the world sportswear market has decreased in recent years, analysts said. Outdoor recreation includes a variety of activities that include hiking and camping.

The runners sponsored by Nike as Anthony Costales will compete in the shoe, called ACG Ultrafly, which will reach the shelves on the spring of 2026, said Nike. A version of the ACG brand of Zegama Trail Runner will be released later in 2025.

Brands like Salomon and Hoka “have broken and done well” on the path, said Morningstar analyst David Swartz and “Nike needs to defend himself.”

Doing it with ACG, short for all conditions, the team will not be easy. The unit, which debuted in 1989 with an approach to hiking and cycling, is now associated with “Gorpcore”, a fashion trend that incorporates functional equipment in elegant cabinets. In general, it is relegated to a shelf or two in the Nike stores, often next to “a photo of a guy who walks through a mountain, or something like that,” Swartz said.

But with China and ACG, Nike can be playing a long game, since he plans to expand his businesses in that market. He established his ACG team as a sub-march in October and put Angela Dong, vice president of the entire Gran China, in charge of the unit. In June, Hill said that his greatest opportunity in China is “from a brand perspective, to inspire and invite the 1,300 million consumers to the world of sports, lifestyle sport and physical condition.”

Outdoor clothing sales almost doubled in China between 2019 and 2025, with outdoor footwear increasing 65% during the same period, according to Euromonitor international data. However, Nike has registered a decrease in two -digit sales in China in each of the last three quarters.

“China has remained a challenging market for Nike,” Zacks Equity Research wrote. The company has faced a strong competition in China of other retailers, and the economic struggles of the Nation and the high youth unemployment have inhibited spending. Nike's participation in the global sportswear market has fallen to 26% of 29% in 2021, according to Euromonitor, since competitors such as Hoka, the sponsor of the Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc title, uses the path that works with the growth of fuels. The shoes of that company were also once a niche brand before going to the mainstream, Swartz said.

The launch in an event sponsored by Hoka may be Nike's attempt to steal some of his rival's thunder, said Jessica Ramírez, co -founder of the Retail Industry consultant The Consumer Collective. It is a way that Nike “flexes his financial muscle” about smaller brands, said Ramírez.