The Bronx's Frank’s Sport Shop has been stocking Nike items for over half a century now, but it looks like that will soon come to an end.
According to the Daily News, Nike had sent the storied NYC-based boutique a memo last month informing Frank's 92-year-old owner, Moe Stein, of its decision to part ways of being a vendor of the brand's products in the future; a partnership that began over five decades ago when the sportswear brand was still a small operation that went by the name Blue Ribbon Sports.
"This is plain chutzpah," Stein told the Daily News. "Let me tell you about Nike. We knew them when they had nothing. How do you like that? They’re putting down the Bronx. The Bronx! It’s not an elite place to them."
Around this time last year, reports of Nike terminating its supplying of products to independent retailers began to circulate in an attempt for the brand to start shifting its focus on a more direct-to-consumer approach. The process included the Swoosh informing its retail partners that it will no longer be supplied with new products with the latest being the storied sporting goods outlet, who's now in its 98th year in business.
The email that Stein received from Nike read that his store "No longer aligns with our distribution policy. Nike has a bold vision ... one closely aligned with what consumers want and need. As part of our recently announced Consumer Direct Acceleration strategy, we are doubling down on our approach with Nike Digital and our owned stores, as well as a smaller number of strategic partners who share our vision to create a consistent, connected and modern shopping experience."
Stein's Frank’s Sport Shop will no longer be a vendor of Nike products starting on Nov. 23.
