Asics will reportedly halt the provision of its footwear to small independent UK sporting goods stores in favour of supplying to larger chains only and conducting sales direct via its website.

The Japanese footwear brand, which makes tennis superstar Novak Djokovic’s trainers, reportedly issued a 250-word letter to small retailers it supplies, stating only that it was halting the provision of footwear from January 2024 after “reassessing the relationship with many of our customers.”

Although the Times could not verify how many retailers fell in scope of Asics’ decision, an industry source told the newspaper that all small retailers that ordered less than £30,000 of stock per year would have their accounts with Asics terminated, with the newspaper learning that one store that orders more than £50,000 of stock annually is also having its contract terminated.

Several years ago, Adidas and Nike made a similar move and stopped supplying products to smaller stores in favour of maintaining focus on selling in large chain outlets and their respective online stores.

Nick Mavrides at Ace Sports north London told the Guardian that at least 30 per cent of his sales were reliant on Asics.

“Our business is under threat,” he said. “Everything in our running range is Asics from a child’s size 10 to a men’s 14 - it is a massive part of our business. They are following in the footsteps of Adidas and Nike.”

Share Story: