BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
According to Nike ACG president, Gordon McFadden, the partnership enables Nike ACG to deliver authentic, high performance cycling gear, with the Nike ACG stamp of sport performance quality, through Trek’s proven cycling innovation excellence and extensive and well-received dealer network."
The first Nike ACG/Trek designed products a road shoe and some togs are expected to be available in March 2001. MTB apparel will follow in the autumn of 2001.
The link up is for five years, with a five-year renewal option.
Trek President John Burke believes the alliance with Nike is a winner for Trek:
[The agreement] allows us to work with one of the best brands in the world and gives us access to R&D, sourcing, technology and design. It gives us the ability to offer a world class line of shoes and clothing to our retailers.
Trek has never had a shoe in its product range before. In some ways it still wont because it wont be a Trek shoe it will be a Nike ACG shoe but will be available via Trek stockists.
Ditto for the clothing, which will all be Nike ACG clothing. Nike benefits by gaining access to Treks IBD network.
In the UK, Trek has 250 IBD stockists although this could be expanded thanks to the Nike deal. Any new stockists would be supplied with Nike gear but not necessarily bikes.
Trek will continue to produce its own clothing range as well as offering the ACG line.
Trek UK MD Nick Fish believes the alliance with Nike will have a knock-on effect for the whole trade:
Its good for the bike business that Nike are re-focussing on cycling.
