Nike loses US$790 mil in Q4 as virus hits sales

Nike loses US$790 mil in Q4 as virus hits sales

90% of its stores were closed for roughly eight weeks during shutdowns.

NEW YORK:
Sports giant Nike reported a surprise loss Thursday as shutdowns due to Covid-19 prompted a big drop in revenues in spite of higher online sales.

Nike reported a loss of US$790 million in the quarter ending May 31, which translated to a loss of 51 cents per share compared with analyst expectations for nine cents per share in profit.

Revenues tumbled 38% to US$6.3 billion following huge declines in sales in most of the world.

In North America, the company’s biggest operating region, revenues plunged 46% to US$2.2 billion.

Nike said 90% of its stores were closed for roughly eight weeks during the quarter in three of its four operating regions, with the exception being Greater China. A bright spot was online sales, with digital sales increasing 75% during the quarter.

The results are among the first by a major company to detail the hit from the coronavirus during the period of peak shutdowns. Nike is on a different fiscal calendar than most other large companies, with its fourth quarter ending May 31.

The second-quarter earnings period, which covers the quarter ending June 30, will begin in mid-July.

Shares of Nike fell 3.7% to US$97.61.

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