During an investor conference in October at its World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike said it expects revenue in its women’s category to rise from $5.7 billion to more than $11 billion in the next five years. An article in USA Today suggests the market for women’s athletic apparel is growing because women are “wearing workout clothes for exercise, as well as in the office, at happy hour gatherings and for running errands.”
During the past fiscal year, ending May 31, Nike’s women’s business grew at twice the rate of its men’s business.
According to Christiana Shi, head of Nike’s direct-to-consumer division, who was interviewed by USA Today, “The kind of growth Nike has experienced reflects a ‘tectonic shift’ in the way women are increasingly embracing both athletic pursuits and athletic clothing. We’re seeing women across age groups, across demographics, across income bands, across very different cultures and they’re all interested in fitness.”