Nike products to woo women via gyms

Nike India has found an unusual display space to promote its apparel, footwear and accessories among women. The company has partnered with fitness centres Gold's Gym and Chisel to showcase its products.

The merchandise meant for women includes apparel, footwear, yoga mats, weights, gymnasium bags, water bottles, skipping ropes, towels, resistance bands and sweat pads.

"This will encourage the use right kind of apparel and accessories among the fitness practitioners. Our product evangelists will periodcally conduct clinics at these fitnes centres. New products which target the health and fitness concious are displayed at the centres,"said Sanjay Gangopadhyay, marketing director, Nike India.

He also pointed out that the clinics will personalise the apparel and accessories for each woman.

" We are not selling products at the fitness centres.Customers will have to visit a Nike showroom to purchase them. So far, this exercise has generated tremendous response," he added.

Gangopadhyay said that Nike is looking for more partners to take forward the concept. "We are evaluating the offers. We prefer professionally-run modern fitness centres," he added.

At the same time, the company is expanding its retail business rapidly. At present, it has more than 100 exclusive brand outlets. Nike products are also available in multibrand outlets and trade outlets (footwear showrooms).

"Nike is available in over 1,000 outlets in the country. In the coming years, the number will double owing to the retail boom. As such we do not have any target for the number of outlets but every week we are inaugurating a new outlet in the commercial areas of emerging cosmopolitan cities and shopping malls," said Gangopadhyay.

At present, nearly 80 per cent of the Nike products sold in India are sourced from abroad. "Sports footwear that possess embedded technology are not manufactured in India. But the prices are the same across the globe. We have maintained a common price range," he said.