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.”
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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.
