JD Sports’ chief executive officer Régis Schultz gave a special shoutout to Nike when accepting the award for retailer of the year at the 2024 FNAAs on Wednesday evening.

“Nike is our number one partner in the world,” Schultz said, accepting the award that was presented by Jason Kirrer, Nike’s vice president of North America sales and marketplace.

Since entering the U.S. market in 2018 with the acquisition of Finish Line, the European retailer had made several efforts to leverage its relationships with key brands (like Nike) for North America-specific benefits. In August, JD said it had extended its retail partnership with Nike to offer the Nike Connected Membership program to its U.S. customers. With this expansion, JD’s U.S. customers were given access to select Nike member-only footwear and apparel when they opt to link their JD Status and Nike Membership accounts through the retailer’s website or mobile app. As of October, there were 5.1 million active members of the JD Status loyalty program in the U.S.

“Nike is a significant part of our business and a great brand partner,” John Hall, president and managing director of JD North America, told FN in an interview in November. “This was a way in which we could strengthen our partnership and increase our level of connectivity with our shared customers.”

Nike aside, JD takes pride in its broad assortment of footwear and apparel brands in its stores. Schultz was sure to to thank the retailer’s other key partners, many of whom were in the room that night, when accepting the award.

“I would like to thank the brands,” Schultz said. “We are a house of brands. We love brands. We want to serve you for the best purposes. We want to give you the access to our customers. That’s what we do for a living. We are passionate about giving the best experience to our customers [and being] the best translation of what you want to be for your customers.”

Schultz noted that JD Sports’ presence in the U.S is now at 2,500 stores, which includes 1,179 Hibbett stores that were added to its portfolio after its buzzy acquisition in July. He also said JD Sports will do $6 billion in sales in the U.S. in 2024.

“We will make more than $1 million profit and will invest most of this cash in new doors, in better propositions and in better stores,” Schultz said. “We love this industry and we are very proud to be here in the U.S. for you.”

For 38 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards — often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The 2024 event is supported by sponsors Listrak, Marc Fisher, Nordstrom and Vibram. 

All the Photos From FN’s Portrait Studio at the FNAA 2024

View Gallery 41 Images

On Dec. 4, JD Sports will be honored with the Retailer of the Year award at the 38th annual FN Achievement Awards. Below is an article from the magazine’s Dec. 2 print issue about the retailer’s success in North America and beyond.

North America has long been a key part of JD Sports’ global ambitions, but in 2024, it became the largest market for the U.K.-based retailer, generating 35 percent of total revenues in the first half of the year.

Perhaps the company’s most notable win in the market occurred in July, when it closed the acquisition of American retailer Hibbett and added 1,179 stores to its portfolio across the U.S. in markets outside of JD’s existing fleet.

Market watchers called it a savvy move. “They now have an off-mall strategy that they can go nationwide with, in addition to the mall strategy of JD,” said Matt Powell, an advisor at Spurwink River and senior advisor at BCE Consulting. “The two banners really complement each other.”

Aside from the Hibbett acquisition, JD opened 24 new doors across North America and converted 13 Finish Line stores to the JD banner in the first half of the year. During that period, its revenue in North America grew 14.5 percent to 1.2 billion pounds.

“Being awarded Retailer of the Year is testament to the strength of our teams and our unrivaled understanding of youth culture and how our customers want to shop and be engaged,” JD Sports chief executive officer Régis Schultz told FN in a statement. “It also reflects the strides taken in delivering our growth strategy this year. I want to thank the JD team around the world who continue to go the extra mile to deliver exceptional results for our customers.”

JD Sports first entered the U.S. market in March 2018 when it acquired the Finish Line banner for $558 million. It furthered its investment in 2020, when it purchased Shoe Palace Corp. for $325 million, and in February 2021, when it bought DTLR for $495 million. Since then, the company has continued to make inroads in the region by applying its European model to North America. That is, offering a brand-focused, immersive, head-to–toe shopping experience.

“There was a pretty significant objective to bring the JD brand to North America,” said John Hall, president and managing director of JD North America. “JD has been greatly successful in the U.K. The group had already built an incredible business model. From there, it was a matter of adapting that model for the North American marketplace.”

The retail giant has also made efforts to leverage its relationships with key brands for North America-specific benefits. In August, JD said it had extended its retail partnership with Nike to offer the Nike Connected Membership program to its U.S. customers. With this expansion, JD’s U.S. customers were given access to select Nike member-only footwear and apparel when they opt to link their JD Status and Nike Membership accounts through the retailer’s website or mobile app. As of October, there were 5.1 million active members of the JD Status loyalty program in the U.S.

“Nike is a significant part of our business and a great brand partner,” Hall said. “This was a way in which we could strengthen our partnership and increase our level of connectivity with our shared customers.”

Nike aside, JD takes pride in its broad assortment of footwear and apparel brands in its stores.

“We are truly multibrand,” Schultz said in a call with analysts in October, in which he highlighted brands like Asics, New Balance and Adidas. “Being European, we tend to have more brands. And the U.S. retailer, especially the sportswear one, has been very much focused on Nike.”

To fill its shelves across the globe, JD balances a global assortment strategy with a more tailored approach for different consumers, especially as it looks to cater to America’s various regions.

“JD has a presence across the U.S., and we know that consumer desires vary from region to region,” Hall said. “We take note of the trends and preferences in each area, catering to those differences, while also serving up some products that JD carries globally.”

Success in the U.S. has helped power growth for JD globally. In the first half of the year, JD delivered revenue of 5 billion pounds (or $6.36 billion at current exchange), a 5.2 percent increase from 4.8 billion pounds (or $6.1 billion) the prior year. Net profit before tax and adjusted items was 405.6 million pounds ($515.8 million) in the period, up 2 percent from the same time last year.

“We are delighted that customers across the world trust JD to showcase the best and most fashionable items in the world of sports fashion,” Schultz told FN in a statement.

For 38 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards — often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The 2024 event is supported by sponsors Listrak, Marc Fisher, Nordstrom and Vibram.

The third quarter got off to a strong start for JD Sports. But elevated promotional activity, a cautious consumer and mild October weather eventually made for a more volatile trading environment in U.K and North America through the latter half of the quarter.

JD Sports chief executive officer Régis Schultz said in a release that in the U.S., “suppressed demand” ahead of the presidential election impacted performance in the key region for the global retailer. Sales in North America overall declined 1.5 percent in the quarter.

JD Sports, which will be honored with the 2024 Footwear News Achievement Award for Best Retailer in December, has recently pushed into the U.S. market via acquisitions, brand partnerships and store openings. In July, JD closed the acquisition of American retailer Hibbett and added 1,179 stores to its portfolio across the U.S. in markets outside of JD’s existing fleet.

“We are gaining share in U.S. and our market share is around 5 percent,” Schultz said in a Thursday call with analysts. “In the U.S. market, we have seen what we have seen in the last 12 months, which is the fact that the market is performing well at peak periods.”

Schultz also reaffirmed the retailer’s strong relationship with its key brand partner, Nike, and its new chief executive officer, Elliott Hill. Nike recently made the decision to pull back some of its key Jordan products to reignite demand in North America, a decision that has impacted some key retailers like JD. However, Schultz said the retailer is still on track to receive hot products for important sales moments.

“We will see some high heat products for the key holiday period. We have some Jordan high heat product and some Nike high heat product,” Schultz said. “For me, it’s all good news in terms of the relationship, in terms of the way of thinking and the way of working. We feel really good about what will happen in the U.S. market following the appointment of Elliott.”

Across all regions, JD delivered organic sales growth of 5.4 percent and like-for-like sales decline of 0.3 percent for the quarter.

JD Sports is redefining what family means in its new holiday campaign this season.

The retailer this week unveiled a global campaign celebrating the different ways people gather and celebrate the seasons with one another. The film’s hero video, The Family Portrait, offers a realistic view of holiday gatherings with friends and family and represents a departure from the typical picturesque holiday scenes often depicted on television.

The spot, which was was created by agency Uncommon Creative Studio, features celebrities such as rapper Central Cee, mixed martial artist Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett, soccer player Trent Alexander Arnold and more.

“Our JD ‘Family’ campaign honors not just the families we’re born into, but also those we choose along the way,” JD Sports’ UK and EU marketing director Chris Waters said in a statement. “At this time of year, the essence of family is woven into everyday life, and our campaign seeks to highlight the authentic connections and lived experiences of all forms of family. As the leading retailer in sports fashion and lifestyle, JD proudly showcases this year’s incredible talent alongside their families, celebrating the bonds that truly matter in moments that represent them.”

Customers with the JD Status app will be able to visit a “JD house” photobooth in select stores to get their own “family” pictures. Then, consumers will be able to post their pictures on social media for the chance to win a JD gift card.

JD Sports, which will be honored as Retailer of the Year at the FN Achievement Awards in December, recently reported record interim results for the first half of fiscal 2025 last month. The company delivered revenue of 5 billion pounds in the first half, a 5.2 percent increase from 4.8 billion pounds in the first half of fiscal 2024. Net profit before tax and adjusted items was 405.6 million pounds in the period, up 2 percent from 397.8 million pounds the same time last year.

When it comes to North America, now JD’s largest market following the recent acquisition of Hibbett, revenue grew 14.5 percent to 1.2 billion pounds in the first half of the year. The company said that its organic sales growth in North America was 13.2 percent in the period, reflecting the growing presence of the JD brand with 275 JD stores open at the end of the period in North America, compared with 175 just 12 months’ prior.

JD Sports is celebrated its wins on Wednesday as the UK-based athletic retailer reported record interim results for the first half of fiscal 2025.

According to the company, it delivered revenue of 5 billion pounds in the first half, a 5.2 percent increase from 4.8 billion pounds in the first half of fiscal 2024. Net profit before tax and adjusted items was 405.6 million pounds in the period, up 2 percent from 397.8 million pounds the same time last year.

When it comes to North America, now its largest market following the recent acquisition of Hibbett, revenue grew 14.5 percent to 1.2 billion pounds in the first half of the year. The company said that its organic sales growth in North America was 13.2 percent in the period, reflecting the growing presence of the JD brand with 275 JD stores open at the end of the period in North America, compared with 175 just 12 months’ prior.

“With an annual turnover around 11.7 billion pounds, equivalent to more than $15 billion and 4,500 stores in the world, JD Group lead the global stores fashion retail industry,” JD Sports chief executive officer Régis Schultz told analysts on the company’s earnings call on Wednesday. “We have positioned ourselves for ambitious growth with our double-digit revenue growth, double-digit operating margin and double-digit market share in key regions. Those ambitious objectives are not new, but they are more relevant than ever as we continue to drive forward.”

“JD revenue growth is more than double the industry average,” he added. “Where many peers have struggled to maintain single-digit growth, we are consistently delivering strong double-digit growth, particularly in key region like North America and Europe. More importantly, JD store productivity is about 50 percent higher than our competitors.”

Here are some takeaways from the company’s earnings call on Wednesday.

Finish Line’s Conversion Plan

Following an analyst question as to whether the Finish Line banner will disappear as the company continues to convert existing Finish Line stores to the JD banner, also known as a “badge flipping,” Schultz confirmed the company’s plan. “We are looking at the plan for [Finish Line],” Schultz said. “In three years’ time, we will have moved all Finish Line stores to JD.”

But, it’s not the end of Finish Line. In a statement sent to FN, a JD Sports representative confirmed that while all standalone Finish Line stores in malls across the country will eventually convert to JD locations over the next several years, Finish Line stores inside Macy’s will continue to operate going forward. “The Finish Line brand allows us to extend our reach to a unique consumer base and the brand continues to be strong with high levels of awareness and demand,” the company rep stated.

The CEO added that as of now, JD has been focused on converting stores with high sales volume first, but will move on to accessing smaller stores. In the first half of fiscal 2025, the company has converted 13 Finish Line stores to the JD fascia and opened a further 24 new JD stores across the US and Canada. New locations for the JD brand in the region included the Bakers Centre in Philadelphia and the Mayfair Shopping Centre, in Victoria, British Columbia.

“We have continued to invest in growing the JD fascia across our key markets, while reducing the number of non-JD stores, as we pursue our JD First strategy,” Schultz said. “We opened the period with 1,902 stores, of which 1,254 were the JD fascia (66 percent), and we ended the period with 1,951 stores, of which 1,340 were the JD fascia (69 percent).”

JD Sports acquired Finish Line in 2018 in a $558 million deal. Schultz noted that at the time of acquisition, Finish Line had revenue of 1 billion pounds and was “losing money.” By 2023, sales in the U.S. reached 3.1 billion pounds, an increase of more than 1 billion pounds when adding in other U.S. retail acquisitions, the CEO added. “These achievements reflects our ability to scale rapidly while expanding our presence and making, at the same time, JD, our No. 1 fascia across North America,” he said.

JD CEO Positive on Changes at Nike

Following last month’s news that Nike will replace CEO John Donahoe with veteran employee Elliott Hill, analysts were eager to get JD’s take on the move. “I think that we see some good things happening. I think that Elliott will bring energy in the business and focus on product and innovation and wholesale partners. So I think we’re quite positive on that,” Schultz said.

Schultz also noted that JD’s business is still healthy even without a renewed energy at Nike. “We are in an industry which is a growing industry,” he added. “So consumers want new product, and if they don’t find it from Nike, they will find it from other brands. Our agility to move and agility to pick up trends and to be the first one to pick up those trends has been demonstrated time after time, and I think that we will continue to see that happening.”

This sentiment follows JD’s announcement in August that it has expanded its relationship with Nike by offering the Nike Connected Membership program to its U.S. customers. The move made JD the sportswear giant’s first global partner for the popular loyalty rewards program after successfully launching in the UK in 2022, the company said at the time.

Footwear Is Still Winning

Footwear has continued to trade better than apparel, although both categories grew in the period, Schultz said on Wednesday. “Footwear in the lifestyle space is a resilient, growth category driven by the continued growth in sneakers around the world,” he said. “Growth in the period was 9.6 percent and footwear’s share of our revenue increased 2.4 percent to 59.8 percent.”

The CEO also pointed to the climate in the U.S. as another reason why apparel doesn’t overtake shoes as the top category.

“Apparel penetration in U.S. would be always lower because in [the states] because you have a significant part of the country where the weather is hotter than the one we have in U.K.,” Schultz said.

Foot Locker is touting a “less is more” approach to rebuild its business.

In addition to moving its global headquarters to St. Petersburg, Fla. from New York City in 2025, Foot Locker said this week it would shut down its stores and e-commerce operations in South Korea, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The contraction comes on the heels of the retailer’s decision last year to close 400 underperforming locations, including about 125 underperforming Champs units. Foot Locker has also wound down its Lady Foot Locker, Footaction, Eastbay and Atmos banners in North America and its Runners Point and Sidestep banners in Europe.

In its most recent second quarter, Foot Locker remodeled or relocated 14 stores, refreshed 67 locations, closed 31 units and opened five new stores.

“An overarching principle of our Lace Up plan is to simplify and optimize our business to ensure that we can invest behind and focus our energy on our core banners and markets in order to drive sustainable growth,” chief executive officer Mary Dillon said in a call with analysts, explaining the latest decision to close its business in some regions.

Meanwhile, “bigger is better” seems to be the approach for UK competitor JD Sports, which opened 85 new stores in the first half of the year and recently completed its acquisition of American retailer Hibbett, which added 1,179 stores to the retailer’s portfolio. JD Sports chief executive officer Régis Schultz said in a call with analysts last week that the retailer’s strategy hinges on making major investments in the U.S. to help it scale globally.

“Our strategy is very clear,” Schultz told analysts in a call last week. “We believe that there is a strong community market in the U.S. This is a major investment that we are making in the U.S., [aimed at] developing JD as a global brand.”

Willams Trading analyst Sam Poser pointed out these opposing trajectories in a note to investors this week, explaining why Foot Locker should be wary of JD’s growth and potential to grab market share.

“[Foot Locker] cutting its way to prosperity will not work, especially while its primary global competitor, JD Sports continues to invest, expand, and take share,” Willams Trading analyst wrote in a recent note to investors. “The outer edges of JD and Foot Locker stores service a more serious sneaker-head consumer. Through DTLR, Shoe Palace, and now Hibbett, JD has increased its focus on a consumer it was already serving, rather than trying to reach new customers it rarely served before.”

Poser added that JD’s advancements in digital and omni-channel capabilities have made it a more attractive partner for the best brands in the sector, notably Nike.

Both Foot Locker and JD Sports have maintained a relatively consistent relationship with the Swoosh, but JD Sports achieved an edge over Foot Locker earlier this month when it announced that it would offer the Nike Connected Membership program to its U.S. customers. With the move, JD became the sportswear giant’s first global partner for the popular loyalty rewards program after successfully launching its program in the UK in 2022. Via the connected program, JD’s U.S. customers now have access to select Nike member-only footwear and apparel when they opt to link their JD Status and Nike Membership accounts through JD’s website or mobile app.

For its part, Foot Locker has maintained a strong relationship with Nike — and this month partnered with Nike and Jordan Brand to launch “Home Court,” a designated basketball product area in Foot Locker’s redesigned Manhattan store.

However, as BTIG analyst Janine Stichter pointed out in a recent note, Foot Locker hasn’t yet integrated its newly relaunched loyalty program, FLX, with the Swoosh.

“Foot Locker has been making strides to enhance its own loyalty program, including the US rollout of the upgraded FLX program in June, and has also been positioning for a return to growth with Nike,” Stichter wrote in an early August note. “However, it has yet to integrate its loyalty program with Nike, showcasing the intensifying competitive landscape the company faces.

On the company’s second quarter 2025 earnings call on Thursday, JD Sports chief executive officer Régis Schultz told analysts that “Nike will be fine” following a question regarding the beleaguered brand’s new product innovations.

“They are doing the right thing,” Schultz added. “They are moving in the right direction. It just takes time to do that in the market, and that’s where we believe they are on the right path.”

This sentiment follows JD’s announcement earlier this month that it has expanded its relationship with Nike by offering the Nike Connected Membership program to its U.S. customers. The move made JD the sportswear giant’s first global partner for the popular loyalty rewards program after successfully launching in the UK in 2022, the company said at the time.

All of this plays into the retailer’s winning strategy of expanding in the U.S. market, something that was even more evident in the company’s latest earnings release.

In a second quarter trading update on Thursday, the company reported that like-for-like sales grew 2.4 percent and organic sales growth of 8.3 percent in the period. First half like-for-like sales were up 0.7 percent and organic sales were up 6.4 percent.

As for quarter-on-quarter results, the company noted its trading improvement was driven primarily by the strength of JD Sports’ multi-brand operating model and softer comparatives with the previous year.

Regionally, growth was strongest in North America, up 5.7 percent, and Europe, up 3.0 percent, while the UK improved materially quarter-on-quarter. Organic growth was achieved in all regions, led by North America with 13.7 percent growth. All three main segments – JD, Complementary Concepts and Sporting Goods & Outdoor – achieved like-for-like growth and the JD segment benefitted from store openings to deliver 11 percent organic growth.

This earnings update comes weeks after JD Sports completed its acquisition of American retailer Hibbett in a deal with an enterprise value of $1.11 billion. In its trading update on Thursday, the company called Hibbett a “great addition” to its Complementary Concepts segment in North America and adds material scale and presence in the U.S. through its 1,179 stores.

The company noted that the acquisition also provides an enhanced platform for the mall-led, nationwide growth of the JD brand in North America through its efficient supply chain and strong back office.

During the first half, the company said it opened 85 new JD stores, which along with the Hibbett acquisition and the ongoing disposal of non-core stores, meant it ended the first half with 4,506 stores, up 1,189 from the start of the year. 

“Our strategy is very clear,” Schultz told analysts on Thursday’s call. “We believe that there is a strong community market in the U.S. This is a major investment that we are making in the U.S., [aimed at] developing JD as a global brand.”

JD Sports is taking its relationship with Nike to the next level.

The UK-based retailer said on Friday that it has extended its retail partnership with the athletic brand to offer the Nike Connected Membership program to its U.S. customers.

This move makes JD the sportswear giant’s first global partner for the popular loyalty rewards program after successfully launching in the UK in 2022, the company said.

With this expansion, JD’s U.S. customers now have access to select Nike member-only footwear and apparel when they opt to link their JD Status and Nike Membership accounts through JD’s website or mobile app. By linking their accounts, customers can unlock an instant reward bonus, curated collections and early access to select Nike member products, as well as exclusive experiences and services, JD said.

Régis Schultz, chief executive officer of JD Sports, said in a statement that the expanded relationship “redefines” how brands and retailers work together.

“This partnership cements JD’s position as the leading global omnichannel retailer of sports fashion brands, providing our extremely brand conscious customers with the products they want most across footwear and apparel,” Schultz said. “We want our customers to shop with JD knowing they are accessing the very best of what our partner brands have to offer, giving them the confidence that they are at the forefront of the trends shaping sports fashion.”

The announcement follows the success of JD’s Status loyalty program rollout in the U.S., which allows customers to earn points to use on a variety of benefits including “Status Cash” towards future purchases, access to the hottest drops before they launch with Status exclusive access, unique experiences and more.

JD said that its loyalty program now has 5.1 million active members in the U.S., with loyalty members shopping twice as regularly with JD as non-loyalty customers. JD Status – which was rolled out in the UK in October 2023 – is also launching across Europe this summer.

The membership extension also comes as JD makes more investment in North America – a key strategic growth territory for the business. In July, JD Sports completed its acquisition of Birmingham, Ala.-based retailer Hibbett. The British sneaker and athletics giant first announced its plans to acquire Hibbett on April 23 as part of its efforts to dig deeper into the U.S. market in a deal with an enterprise value of $1.11 billion.

Hibbett, which is now an official part of JD’s growing sports empire, rolled out its membership program with Nike in October, following a similar program Nike inked with Dick’s Sporting Goods in 2021.

In its full year results in May, JD reported that revenue in North America increased 8.4 percent to 3.4 billion pounds in fiscal 2024. This outperformance in sales in the region was built upon larger and better-invested stores, a broader sales mix and compelling brand partner relationships, the company said. Overall, JD Sports reported a total revenue of 10.4 billion pounds in fiscal 2024, an increase of 2.7 percent compared to the same 52-week period in 2023.

Hibbett is now officially one with JD Sports.

According to the athletic-inspired fashion retailer, its acquisition by JD Sports Fashion was completed on Thursday, officially closing a deal that was first announced in April.

Now that the deal is done, Hibbett is officially part of JD and will cease to be a stand-alone publicly traded company. Mike Longo will continue as president and chief executive officer of Hibbett and Jared Briskin will assume the role of chief operating officer. The company will maintain its corporate headquarters in Birmingham, Ala.

“We are excited to complete this transaction and join JD,” Longo said in a statement on Thursday. “Hibbett and City Gear will continue to have significant growth opportunities thanks to our strong vendor relationships with highly coveted brands, best-in-class omni-channel platform and efficient supply chain operations. In addition, our store footprint is complementary and incremental to the other existing JD locations in North America. Above all, we will continue to provide an outstanding consumer experience in underserved communities by offering a unique and compelling product mix that appeals to our fashion-conscious shoppers.”

British sneaker and athletics giant JD Sports Fashion announced on April 23 that it was set to acquire Hibbett as part of its efforts to dig deeper into the U.S. market.

JD Sports said at the time that it planned to acquire 100 percent of Hibbett, which is quoted on the Nasdaq, for a price of $87.50 per share, in cash, implying an enterprise value of $1.11 billion.

JD, a FTSE 100 company that’s majority owned by Pentland Group, said it expects to fund the deal and refinance Hibbett’s existing debt through a combination of existing U.S. cash resources of $300 million and a $1 billion extension to the group’s existing bank facilities.

Régis Schultz, CEO of JD Sports Fashion Plc, said in April that the acquisition is in line with the company’s priorities and is “very important” for its strategic and financial development.

He said the deal “enhances our presence within North America and achieves our objective of strengthening our Complementary Concepts division. Hibbett’s footprint is highly complementary, adding a stronger presence in communities across the southeastern U.S., where we currently have a limited presence. It will also provide a stronger platform for the rollout of the JD fascia in the U.S.”

Schultz added that the deal is expected to be earnings accretive from year one, and before potential synergies are taken into account.

“It will also strengthen further our key brand partner relationships in the largest sportswear market in the world. Hibbett has a strong and experienced management team who we look forward to working with on this transaction and beyond as we welcome Hibbett into our family of North American retail fascias.”

Hibbett has 1,169 stores across 36 states. Its main retail banners are Hibbett and City Gear. The chain was founded 75 years ago and sells brands including Nike, Adidas, and Jordan across footwear, apparel and accessories.

In the 53 weeks ended Feb. 3, 2024, Hibbett generated net sales of $1.7 billion, EBITDA of $186 million, and profit before tax of $131.6 million. Gross assets on the balance sheet were $909.2 million.

JD Sports said the transaction represents an important strategic milestone, accelerating growth plans in North America “and aligning with its stated strategy of enhancing its presence in the world’s biggest and most attractive sportswear market.”

The British sports giant added the transaction will also help the group to strengthen brand partner relationships, and allow for an “enhanced proposition to customers and efficiency opportunities in the region.”

Annual cost synergies are expected to be at least $25 million, according to JD.

The Hibbett deal marks JD Sports’ latest foray into the U.S. market. In 2021, it purchased two U.S. street and sneaker companies in the space of six weeks.

It bought 100 percent of DTLR Villa, an athletic footwear and apparel streetwear retailer based in Baltimore, for $495 million. That year, it snapped up the San Jose, California-based Shoe Palace, which sells brands including Nike, Champion, and Fila.

The British company has also been expanding in Europe via acquisitions. Last year, it acquired the French company Groupe Courir, a footwear and sports apparel retailer, as part of an international acquisitions drive.

JD Sports entered the U.S. market in 2018 with the purchase of Finish Line, and in the years since has made further inroads stateside via store openings and splashy acquisitions.

A pair of execs from the U.K.-based sportswear retail powerhouse opened its U.S. market playbook on Tuesday to a room of footwear industry execs at the FN Summit in New York City in a conversation titled “Conquering America: JD’s Gameplan.”

The talk featured Ronnie Jefferson, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of Finish Line at Macy’s, and Paula Daniel, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of buying for JD Sports/Finish Line. It was led by FN senior news editor Ian Servantes.

Jefferson — who has worked at Finish Line for nearly two decades — discussed the nuances of the Finish Line at Macy’s consumer, and revealed details on the relationship, which hit 11 years on Feb. 13. (He said the partnership was recently extended for another five years.)

The exec attributed much of the success of the partnership to the power of the female consumer.

“I’ve been with Finish Line for 17 years and a lot of time the stores when you walk into malls were heavily dominated by a male presence. The deal we did with Macy’s was fantastic because they own their consumer and we learned a lot walking in and understanding how much power she possess. She was a lot more fashionable than we thought,” Jefferson said.

Because women are becoming a larger part of the conversation, JD is careful in how it speaks to them.

“She’s leading the way,” Daniel said. “She’s more curious and she’s doing a great job styling looks. She’s actually telling us how to wear it. Particularly in our business, we see a lot of trends leading with her, translating to kids.”

Daniel continued, “She moves quick, so we need to be on the cusp of how she moves and move with her as well. She is definitely making some statements “

Jefferson added, “From a fashion standpoint, she has always led the way. What we’ve seen is she can move the needle, but also she can make somebody want to move off a trend and move on to something else.”

Diving deeper into the company’s consumers in the U.K. and the U.S., Daniel explained that there are minimal differences in the European female consumer compared to those in the U.S. However, she did state one of the biggest key differences she has seen in North America consumers is the culture of basketball and the love of Jordan. “What basketball and Jordan is in the U.S. is what soccer-football is in Europe,” she said.

And while many of the same shoes that are trending in the U.S. are also popular in the U.K., Daniel said they are being marketed quite differently. Because there is such a diverse consumer base in North America, Daniel said JD is making sure it is paying attention to all of the relevant cultural references.

Brand mix, too, is more important than ever, with today’s consumer open to wearing an array of top labels. Daniels believes JD has long been ready for this moment.

“JD has always been a house of brands, it’s something that we pride ourselves in, it [distinguishes us] in the market,” Daniel said. “We need to make sure that we are relevant, that we capture new brands, emerging trends, seeing what the consumer wants.”

Jefferson added, “The consumer now is open to newness, new brands. The consumer right now is open to something different, fresh. It’s also how you show up, it could be the experience. Certain brands you can buy anywhere, but the experience when you walk into a store, how they’re showcased creates an organic experience.”

Daniel highlighted both the T-Toe and retro tech trends as what’s most sought after today, with Adidas and Nike, respectively, as the trend leaders. She also noted New Balance, Hoka and Asics as market disruptors. Jefferson also stated the recovery trend has been a hit with the retailer, which has been led by Birkenstock.

The two execs also addressed the softening of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) conversation in the footwear industry. “I call it the ‘ice effect.’ [It’s easy to] be present, but the moment you take your eye off, you start to see [people] sliding off,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson, however, applauded the efforts of his employer when it comes to DEI, especially its ongoing Community Voices initiative, which JD described as a commitment to amplify and fund underrepresented voices.

The exec also stated both he and JD have a responsibility to uphold these values since Black culture has largely shaped what sneaker culture is today. This, Jefferson said, includes mentoring others.

“Outside of Finish Line, I’ve been in the industry for a long time and also champion some of the things you go through in life, ups and downs, and how to move past things. It’s been great to talk with people about it and show them that you can still move forward,” said Jefferson, who stated he mentors roughly 30 people.

About the Author

Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.