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.”
Watch on FN
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.
