Shifting to a direct model is capital-intensive and saddled Nike with the headaches of returns and owned ... retail shoppers. There's not shoppers who only shop in mono-brand stores versus ...

Nike didn't immediately respond to an Insider question about retail theft. The sportswear giant last fall closed a celebrated outlet store in its hometown of Portland because of ongoing theft.

Nike Direct includes Nike-owned retail stores and sales through the digital platform frequently referred to as “Nike Digital”. Wholesale accounts include a mix of independent distributors ...