Nike’s China Reset Is Betting on Running to Rebuild Local Relevance

Cathy Sparks started at Nike selling sneakers in an Oregon store. Thirty years later, she has one of the company’s hardest assignments: persuading Chinese consumers to give the brand another chance.

As the Wall Street Journal reported in September, Sparks took over Nike’s Greater China business this spring and has since visited nearly a dozen cities, gyms and local basketball games. She has also sat in focus groups asking consumers what they play, where they play and what they do afterward.

That listening tour is part of a broader reset. According to the Journal, Nike is trying to restore its premium image by reducing discounts and closing most partner-operated online storefronts in China. The move could improve the shopping experience and protect prices. It also risks sending customers to competitors: those partner sales make up a meaningful share of Nike’s China business, and rivals such as adidas will continue selling through those channels.

Sparks is also pushing Nike to make products for China more quickly. The company has appointed its first China-based vice president of local product creation and is doubling the team. The Journal reported plans for new locally developed sportswear and lifestyle lines in October, just six months after planning began. Nike intended to launch them first in physical stores, using the collections to draw shoppers in.

Running offers a more immediate bright spot. The Journal’s September report said Nike’s running revenue in China had grown by double digits for six consecutive quarters. Nike’s newer earnings release, issued October 1, shows how difficult the broader reset remains: Greater China revenue fell 22% on a reported basis and 26% currency-neutral to $1.18 billion in fiscal 2027’s first quarter, which ended August 31, 2026. Nike credits new products, including the Pegasus Premium, and engagement with local running groups. Nike also scheduled its Hybrid RN, designed for hybrid training that combines running and strength work, to launch in China on September 24, ahead of its October 8 global release.

That growth matters, but it doesn’t mean Nike has solved the problem. Chinese runners have more local brands to choose from, including companies that compete on technology, price and speed to market. And a successful running shoe or community program won’t, on its own, repair Nike’s wider connection with Chinese consumers.

Sparks’ challenge is to make Nike feel close to the people buying and wearing its products: relevant to their sports, their style and the places where they run. Running is already giving the company a foothold. The test is whether Nike can turn that foothold into a durable local business.

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