Nike Launches Shoe Resale Business

If you miss out on a Nike shoe drop, you’ll now have a (slim) second chance at it...without having to take out a second mortgage.

Nike is introducing “Nike Refurbished,” a return offering that will be piloted at up to 15 US-based Nike stores starting this month.

How it works: A customer brings a pair of used shoes to the store for inspection. → If eligible, Nike then cleans and sanitizes the shoes. → The shoes are returned to shelves at a marked-down price.

Nike Refurbished is an investment in the company’s so-called “circular future,” in which product waste is minimized.

• Nike recently unveiled its 2025 sustainability targets, which includes a 10x increase in the product waste that’s refurbished or recycled.

Zoom out: Nike and some of its competitors are pulling back on wholesale in favor of DTC. Nike Refurbished supports that goal by providing more options to consumers, Nicole Otto, VP of Nike Direct North America, told Retail Brew.

“We continue to evolve the way we serve consumers more personally and at scale,” Otto said. “The urgency of climate change requires innovation…If there is no planet, there is no sport,” she concluded. — KM