Nike..History, Present and Future

By

M. Qasim Butt. Thomas Spalla, and Yasir Malik

Nike, Inc. (pronounced /ˈ Naɪ kiː /; NYSE: NKE) is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area. It is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel[3] and a major manufacturer of sports equipment with revenue in excess of US$18.6 billion in its fiscal year 2008 (ending May 31, 2008). As of 2008, it employed more than 30,000 people worldwide. Nike and Precision Castparts are the only Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state of Oregon, according to The Oregonian.

The company was founded on January 25, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight,[1] and officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1978. The company takes its name from Nike (Greek Νίκη pronounced [níːkɛː]), the Greek goddess of victory. Nike markets its products under its own brand as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Skateboarding and subsidiaries including Cole Haan, Hurley International, Umbro and Converse. Nike also owned Bauer Hockey (later renamed Nike Bauer) between 1995 and 2008.[4] In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the company operates retail stores under the Nike town name. Nike sponsors many high profile athletes and sports teams around the world, with the highly recognized trademarks of "Just do it" and the Swoosh logo

Define the demographics of the current customer base.

What method(s) did you uses to determine this? Why?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of these methods?

What sources did you use? Why?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of these sources?

The Nike Town store where we did our research is located 669 N. Michigan ave, Chicago Illinois. The store opened in this area is prime real estate area and called the Magnificent Mile.

The Magnificent Mile, sometimes referred to as The Mag Mile, is the portion of Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois extending from the Chicago River to Oak Street in the Near North Side community area.[1] The district is located adjacent to downtown; it is also one block east of Rush Street, which is known for its night life. The Magnificent Mile serves as the main thoroughfare between Chicago's Loop business district and its Gold Coast.[2] it also serves as the western boundary of the Streeterville neighborhood.

Real estate developer Arthur Rubloff of Rubloff Company gave the nickname to one of the city's most prestigious residential and commercial thoroughfares in the 1940s.[1] Currently, Chicago's largest shopping district, various mid-range and high-end shops line this section of the street and approximately 3,100,000 square feet (288,000 m2) is currently occupied by retail stores, restaurants, museums and motels.[3] It includes fine restaurants, hotels, and stores and several of the tallest buildings in the United States. In addition, numerous prestigious buildings are located along the Magnificent Mile, such as the Wrigley Building and the John Hancock Center, places listed on the National Register of Historic Places such as The Old Chicago Water Tower District and Chicago Landmarks such as Tribune Tower and the Allerton Hotel.

The clientele that shops at this location comes from all over the world. We found our information two different ways. The first way was talking to people in the store. We asked them how often they shopped at Nike Town and where they lived. We talked to twenty people. Here is what we found out. Two of the twenty lived in Detroit, Michigan. They stop in Nike Town every time they ate in the downtown Chicago area. Why, I asked them. They said they like the Nike product and love to people watch.

The next group of people where from Winsor Ontario, Canada. There were 10 people in this group. This was the first time they have been in Nike Town. They were staying at Trump Tower, five blocks down from the store. They stop in because they were intrigued by the store front and like the Nike Brand. We also spoke to a young married couple and their daughter. They shop in Nike Town often and they live in a condominium walking distance from the store.

The other way we did our research was by talking to people exiting the store. We talk to 15 people, nine male and six female.

. Here are the Demographics of the current customer base. How we found our information was by conducting a survey outside of Nike town's store located at 649 N. Michigan aver. We interviewed 15 people, nine male and 6 female and ask them ten simple questions. It took us about an hour to find the 15 people to interview. We had 7 people just walk away and another 5 say no thanks. Here are the 10 questions we asked.

1. Did you enjoy your visit to Nike town today?

All 15 people enjoyed their visit to Nike Town

2. Was this your first visit to Nike town?

8 people experienced their 1st visit and 7 have been their before.

3 What is your zip code? 60076, Skokie, Ill. NE suburb. Population 54,263. 60613, Chicago. Population is 50,546 in this area. Zip code 60601, Chicago. Population is 5,591in this area. Zip code 50032 Berlick, Iowa. Population is 370 people. Zip code 40036, Lockport, Kentucky. Population in this area is 357 people. Zip code 60605, Chicago Ill. Population is 12,426 in this area. Zip Code 00681, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Population is 420,326. Zip code 29841, North Augusta, South Carolina. Population in this town is 30,517. Zip code 48170, Plymouth, Michigan. Population in this area is 39,517. Zip code 50048, Casey Iowa. Population in this town is 973 people. Zip code 43551, Perrysburg, Ohio. Population in this town is 53,160. I was only able to find zip code information on 11 of the people we surveyed. I'm wondering if the others did not want to share their correct zip code with us.

4. Did the staff make you feel welcome at the store?

11 replied yes and 4 replied