Fans of Nike Snowboarding, we regret to inform you that this year's holiday collection will be the last offering of snowboarding apparel and gear from the Swoosh.
"Nike SB will focus its innovation, design and marketing resources on its biggest brand driver and growth opportunity, skateboarding," said Nike in a statement. "The current Holiday 14 Nike Snowboarding collection will be the final at retail."
A report from The Oregonian states that Nike is ditching it's snowboarding campaign to focus more on their Nike SB and other skateboarding avenues. The report also states that the Swoosh will also shut down Nike ACG (All Conditions Gear), which focused primarily on apparel for snow sports. According to industry experts, the move isn't exactly a surprise. In recent years, there's been a major downward trend in snowboarding, with Nike's action sports division only generating about $738 million annually. In comparison, Nike saw about $4.6 billion in running sales and $3.1 billion in basketball sales in its last fiscal year, so dropping snowboarding is a financial move more then anything.
The Nike SB line has been a strong point for the brand since it's inception, and the decision to drop snowboarding will lead to more resources being available to focus on the skate line. The move is sort of a shock considering Nike outfitted athletes for the 2014 Winter Olympics, but clearly they feel there's more a future in skateboarding. The campaign has already begun as the 2014 SLS Nike SB Super Crown World Championship, an elite skateboarding competition, will make its debut on FOX this Sunday.
Check out the full report here, and let us know what you think of the Nike's move away from snow sports.
RELATED: INTERVIEW: Eric Koston Breaks Down the Nike Koston 2
