Asics has recorded a surge in in-store and ecommerce sales as it winds up its transformation programme, with the retailer’s European boss declaring the business “fit for the future”.
Although consolidated net sales Asics’ EMEA division for 2017 declined by five per cent, the sportswear giant said its multi-disciplinary transformation programme began to positively impact the business in key strategic areas – with Asics stores showing 14 per cent growth and ecommerce seeing a sales enjoying a spike of 39 per cent.
2017 also saw Asics increase its direct-to-consumer footprint across EMEA with new concept stores in London, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Copenhagen and Vienna as well as upgrades of five existing brand stores.
The Japanese brand also underwent transformation scheme last year, which included a sharpening of its brand positioning and marketing campaigns, investing in branded environments with key retailers, creating dedicated teams for strategic accounts and emerging markets, and building digital marketing and merchandising capabilities.
Asics EMEA has also seen significant growth in its emerging markets during its transformational year, with its Russian market growing by 30 per cent while its Middle Eastern market displaying positive growth since the opening of a dedicated subsidiary in 2016.
“In 2017 we have completely transformed our business to be fit for the future,” Asics EMEA chief executive Alistair Cameron said.
“We are encouraged by the early signs of growth, especially in direct-to-consumer and emerging markets, and are confident that our focused approach and strengthened organisation will deliver against our growth plans in 2018 and beyond.”
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