TWISP Notes: This Week in Store Pics – Footwear & Sporting Channel Checks

Highlights of our regular weekly store visits. We visited New Balance & Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) retail locations for a mid-summer athleisure & sporting goods review. DKS does a great job setting floor space for the latest trends (World Cup, Health & Wellness, Racket sports). Our channel checks on New Balance suggest some consumer delays upgrading into fresh running shoes earlier this summer as energy-driven price increases continue straining consumer wallets.

Source: Optimal Advisory for all images

New Balance: Running Shoe Market & the AC Runner Promoted as a Do-It-All Option

New Balance: Leaning into the Chunky, Comfortable Sneaker Aesthetic

New Balance: Street Style & High-Performance Running Apparel, Side by Side in Apparel Offerings

DKS: World Cup Featured Racks & End-caps, Capitalizing on Cultural Trends

DKS: Channel Checks Strong in Racket Sports (Pickleball, Tennis)

DKS: At Home Strength & Wellness Has its own Corner, Leading Movement in the Sports Ecosystem