What Companies are Owned by Nike?

Nike is the world’s largest sporting company that dominates in various types of athletic shoes and sports clothing. Nike makes good running shoes but they are most well known for their basketball shoes.

Nike currently owns Jordan Brand and their only subsidiary Converse. Nike also acquired a digital sales company Datalogue in 2021, which is a machine learning technology company based in New York. Nike used to own Bauer Hockey, Cole Hann, Hurley, Starter and Umbro but have sold them since then.

Nike’s Ownership History:

COMPANYACQUIREDSOLD
Jordan1984
Bauer Hockey19942008
Cole Hann19982013
Hurley20022002
Converse2003
Starter20042007
Umbro20072012
Datalogue2021

Their biggest competitors are Under Armour, Adidas, and Puma. Here is how dominant Nike is in the sporting goods industry:

  • Revenue: Nike has the biggest revenue among all sporting goods companies in the world. Nike’s 2019 revenue was $39.2 billion, far ahead of No. 2 sporting goods company Adidas’s $25.7 billion.
  • Brand Value: Nike is the most valuable sports brand in the world. Its brand value in 2019 was $36.8 billion, far dwarfing No. 2 sports brand ESPN’s brand value of $13.1 billion.
  • Market Capitalization: Once again, Nike is No. 1 here. As of June 2020, it has a market capitalization of $160 billion, making it the most valuable sporting goods company in the world. Adidas, the second on the list, is far behind with a market capitalization of $50 billion.
  • Owner: Nike is owned by the founder Phil Knight, who started the company and has a net worth of 39.2 billion. Phil Knight and his son Travis Knight own more than 97% of Nike’s Class A shares.

People often think that for a business to be this dominant, Nike must be a huge conglomerate owning dozens of different companies. It turns out that is not the case at all. Nike is huge, but it does not own that many companies.

Nike Subsidiaries

Entity NameCountry of Formation
NIKE Argentina SrlArgentina
Hurley Australia Pty LtdAustralia
NIKE Australia Pty. Ltd.Australia
NIKE GmbH.Austria
NIKE Africa Ltd.Bermuda
NIKE CortezBermuda
NIKE Finance Ltd.Bermuda
NIKE FlightBermuda
NIKE HuaracheBermuda
NIKE International Ltd.Bermuda
NIKE Jump Ltd.Bermuda
NIKE LavadomeBermuda
NIKE PegasusBermuda
NIKE TailwindBermuda
NIKE WaffleBermuda
NIKE do Brasil Comercio e Participacoes Ltda.Brazil
NIKE Licenciamentos do Brasil, Ltda.Brazil
Converse Canada Corp.Canada
NIKE Canada Corp.Canada
NIKE de Chile Ltda.Chile
Converse Holdings LLCDelaware
Converse Inc.Delaware
NIKE CA LLCDelaware
NIKE Holding, LLCDelaware
NIKE International Holding, Inc.Delaware
NIKE International LLCDelaware
NIKE Max LLCDelaware
NIKE Mexico Holdings, LLCDelaware
NIKE South Africa Holdings LLCDelaware
NIKE Zoom LLCDelaware
Umbro Corp.Delaware
Umbro International JVDelaware
NIKE Denmark ApSDenmark
NIKE Finland OYFinland
NIKE France S.A.S.France
NIKE Deutschland GmbHGermany
NIKE Hellas EPEGreece
Triax Insurance, Inc.Hawaii
Cole Haan Hong Kong LimitedHong Kong
Converse (Asia Pacific) LimitedHong Kong
Converse Hong Kong Holding Company LimitedHong Kong
Converse Hong Kong LimitedHong Kong
Exeter Hong Kong LimitedHong Kong
NIKE China Holding HK LimitedHong Kong
NIKE Hong Kong LimitedHong Kong
NIKE Suzhou Holding HK LimitedHong Kong
Twin Dragons Global LimitedHong Kong
Umbro Asia Sourcing LimitedHong Kong
Umbro Hong Kong LimitedHong Kong
NIKE India Private LimitedIndia
NIKE Sourcing India Private LimitedIndia
PT Hurley IndonesiaIndonesia
PT NIKE IndonesiaIndonesia
NIKE Israel Ltd.Israel
Bragano Trading S.r.l.Italy
Juventus Merchandising S.r.l.Italy
NIKE Italy S.R.L.Italy
Cole Haan Japan, Inc.Japan
NIKE Japan Corp.Japan
NIKE Logistics Yugen KaishaJapan
Yugen Kaisha Hurley JapanJapan
Cole HaanMaine
Cole Haan Company StoreMaine
NIKE SALES (MALAYSIA) SDN. BHD.Malaysia
NIKE de Mexico S de R.L. de C.V.Mexico
NIKE Servicios de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V.Mexico
NIKE IHM, Inc.Missouri
All Star C.V.Netherlands
Converse Canada Holding B.V.Netherlands
Converse Netherlands B.V.Netherlands
Converse Trading Company B.V.Netherlands
Hurley International Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE 360 Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Asia Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Australia Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE BH B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Canada Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Chile B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Dunk Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Europe Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE European Operations Netherlands B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Galaxy Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Global Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Group Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE India Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE International Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Laser Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE NZ Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Offshore Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Retail B.V.Netherlands
NIKE Trading Company B.V.Netherlands
NIKE UK Holding B.V.Netherlands
Twin Dragons Holding B.V.Netherlands
NIKE New Zealand CompanyNew Zealand
Exeter Brands Group LLCOregon
Hurley International LLCOregon
NIKE Retail Services, Inc.Oregon
NIKE TN, Inc.Oregon
NIKE USA, Inc.Oregon
Savier, Inc.Oregon
Converse Footwear Technical Service (Zhongshan) Co., Ltd.People’s Republic of China
Converse Sporting Goods (China) Co., Ltd.People’s Republic of China
NIKE Sports (China) Company, Ltd.People’s Republic of China
NIKE (Suzhou) Sports Company, Ltd.People’s Republic of China
NIKE Philippines, Inc.Philippines
NIKE Poland Sp.zo.oPoland
NIKE Retail Poland sp. z o. o.Poland
NIKE Retail LLCRussia
NIKE Russia LLCRussia
NIKE Global Services PTE. LTD.Singapore
NIKE Global Trading PTE. LTD.Singapore
NIKE SINGAPORE PTE LTDSingapore
NIKE South Africa (Proprietary) LimitedSouth Africa
NIKE Sports Korea Co., Ltd.South Korea
American NIKE S.L.Spain
Futbol Club Barcelona, S.L.Spain
Hurley 999, S.L.Spain
NIKE Sweden ABSweden
NIKE (Switzerland) GmbHSwitzerland
BRS NIKE Taiwan, Inc.Taiwan
NIKE Vision, Timing and Techlab, LPTexas
NIKE (Thailand) LimitedThailand
Converse Europe LimitedUnited Kingdom
Hurley999 UK LimitedUnited Kingdom
Manchester United Merchandising LimitedUnited Kingdom
NIKE (UK) LimitedUnited Kingdom
NIKE Vapor Ltd.United Kingdom
PMG International LimitedUnited Kingdom
Umbro Finance LimitedUnited Kingdom
Umbro International Holdings LimitedUnited Kingdom
Umbro International LimitedUnited Kingdom
Umbro JV LimitedUnited Kingdom
Umbro Licensing LimitedUnited Kingdom
Umbro Ltd.United Kingdom
Umbro Schweiz LimitedUnited Kingdom
Umbro Sportwear LimitedUnited Kingdom
Umbro Worldwide LimitedUnited Kingdom
Umbro.comUnited Kingdom
NIKE Vietnam Limited Liability CompanyVietnam

History of Nike Acquisitions

The story of Nike began in Oregon. In 1964, University of Oregon track athlete Phil Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman formed a company to import Japanese sneakers from Onitsuka Tiger (maker of ASICS shoes) and to sell the sneakers at track meets out of the back of Knight’s car. They named their company Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS).

In 1971, BRS stopped reselling shoes from Onitsuka Tiger and launched its own brand of sneakers, which was named Nike. In 1978, BRS itself has renamed Nike.

Since then, Nike has created or acquired a range of sports brands and companies:

  • Jordan Brand (created in 1984)
  • Converse (acquired in 2003)

Most of the companies acquired by Nike were eventually sold off:

  • Cole Haan (acquired in 1988; sold in 2012)
  • Bauer Hockey (acquired in 1995; sold in 2008)
  • Hurley (acquired in 2002; sold in 2019)
  • Starter (acquired in 2004; sold in 2007)
  • Umbro (acquired in 2007; sold in 2012)

Let’s take a look at these Nike brands and subsidiaries one by one.

Brands and Companies Owned by Nike

Of all the companies and brands owned by Nike, Jordan Brand is no doubt the most well-known as well as the most important.

Jordan Brand

In 1984, Nike released a high-top basketball shoe named Air Jordan 1. That shoe came about through a collaboration between Nike and Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time. Right away, it became immensely popular. But much more than that, it became a shoe that would change Nike’s history.

Before Air Jordan 1, sneakers were marketed to and worn by people who played sports. In other words, sneakers were sporting goods to be worn to play sports. Air Jordan 1 turned that notion on its head and transcended the definition of sporting goods to become a cultural icon.

After Air Jordan 1, sneakers became more than sporting goods. They became fashion items and status symbols. Some even turned into collectibles and objects of desire. From that point on, everybody – the rap stars, the movie stars, the cool kids in school – they all wear sneakers everywhere.

This transformation greatly expanded the market size of sneakers and paved the way for Nike to become the juggernaut that it is today. In this sense, the significance of Air Jordan 1 to the growth of Nike simply cannot be overstated.

Throughout the years, Air Jordan has managed to maintain its popularity and influence. Since 1984, there have been 34 major versions of Air Jordan released. And that is not counting the thousands of variations and colorways that have been dropped along the way. As of 2020, the latest version of Air Jordan is Air Jordan 33, released in 2018.

Related: How to Tell If Jordans Are Fake | Checklist

Jordan Brand has also branched out from Air Jordan and released a wide range of shoes and apparel for men, women, kids, and babies.

These include:

  • Jordan Delta
  • Jordan Max
  • Jordan Aerospace
  • Jordan Hydro
  • Jordan Proto-Max
  • Jordan Maxin
  • Jordan Jumpman
  • Jordan Why Not?
  • Sky Jordan

At 35, Jordan Brand is bigger than ever. In Dec 2019, then Nike CEO Mark Parker reported that Jordan Brand just had its first ever billion quarter.

Jordan Brand has also proved to be extremely lucrative for Michael Jordan himself. Forbes estimated in 2020 that Nike had paid Michael Jordan a total of .3 billion for his involvement in Jordan Brand.

It is safe to say that for the foreseeable future, Jordan Brand will continue to be a powerhouse brand for both Nike and Michael Jordan.

Related: 9 Places You Can Buy Cheap Authentic Real Jordans

Converse

Converse was founded in 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts, which makes it almost 80 years older than Nike. Converse is best known for its Chuck Taylor All-Stars canvas basketball shoes, which it has been making since 1922. Chuck Taylor All-Stars was the first celebrity-endorsed athletic shoe in the world. By the 1960s it had captured 70 to 80 percent of the basketball shoe market.

But the popularity of Chuck Taylor All-Stars started to decline in the 1970s. Despite making a brief comeback in the 80s as a retro-style casual shoe, Chuck Taylor All-Stars went into a slump again in the 1990s. By 1998, Converse’s market share had dropped to a measly 2.3 percent. As a result of that decline and various poor management decisions, Converse had to file for bankruptcy multiple times, the last of which was in 2001.

Nike acquired Converse in 2003 for 5 million. Since then Nike has orchestrated a complete turnaround of Converse. How? By embracing Converse’s old-school heritage and repositioning it from a sporting goods company to a lifestyle company while pushing a rebellious image. This new strategy has been a resounding success. Revenue of Converse grew from $205 million in 2002 to $1.9 billion in 2019.

Companies Sold Off by Nike

Cole Haan

Cole Haan is an upscale footwear and accessories company founded in Chicago in 1928. It makes and sells dress shoes, casual shoes, handbags, belts, gloves, and other accessories.

Nike bought Cole Haan in 1988 in an attempt to diversify its business into upscale dress shoes.

Eventually, Nike reversed its strategy and decided to focus on its core brands of Nike, Jordan, and Converse, and to sell off everything else.

In 2012, 24 years after its purchase by Nike, Cole Haan was sold to private equity firm Apax Partners for $570 million.

Bauer Hockey

Bauer Hockey makes and sells ice hockey equipment and apparel such as skates, sticks, masks, helmets, gloves, pads, knee guards, shin guards, and jackets. It was founded by the Bauer family in 1927 in Kitchener, Ontario. Since then it has been bought and sold multiple times by various companies and investment groups.

Nike bought Bauer Hockey in 1995 for 5 million, looking for synergy between its core sneaker business and Bauer’s hockey equipment business. Unfortunately, that synergy was not to be found. In 2008, 13 years after the initial purchase, Nike threw in the towel and sold Bauer Hockey for 0 million to a private equity group formed by investor W. Graeme Roustan and investment firm Kohlberg & Company.

Nike ended up taking a big loss on Bauer Hockey: its 2008 selling price of $200 million was almost 50 percent lower than its 1995 purchase price of $395 million.

Hurley

Hurley is a surf apparel company founded in 1979. Its products include board shorts, swim trunks, swimsuits, wetsuits, t-shirts, hoodies, sandals, bags, etc.

By the 1980s, with good marketing execution, Nike’s running shoes have become popular in the market.

Nike bought Hurley in 2002 for an undisclosed amount. Just like its purchase of Bauer Hockey, Nike bought Hurley in an attempt to diversify, this time into the surf apparel market.

And just like the Bauer Hockey purchase, Nike eventually gave up on the Hurley purchase too. In 2019, Nike sold Hurley to the brand management firm Blue Star Alliance for an undisclosed amount.

Starter

The starter makes uniforms for major league and college sports teams. It has licensing agreements with more than one hundred teams in MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and NCAA. It was founded in 1971 in New Haven, Connecticut.

Nike bought Starter in 2004 for about a million.

In 2007, Nike sold Starter to brand management firm Iconix Brand Group for million.

Umbro

Umbro is a soccer apparel and equipment maker based in Cheadle, near Manchester. It was founded in 1920 in Cheshire. Its products include jerseys, shorts, goalkeeper gloves, and soccer cleats.

In 2007, Nike bought Umbro for £285 million.

Like most other diversification attempts by Nike, this one also did not pan out. In 2012, Nike sold Umbro to Iconix Brand Group for 5 million.

Sources:

https://news.nike.com/news/nike-datalogue-acquisition

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320187/000119312510161874/dex21.htm

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2019/10/16/the-forbes-fab-40-puma-debuts-on-2019-list-of-the-worlds-most-valuable-sports-brands/#788f93b9d356

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jordan-brands-1-billion-quarter-nike-large-pie-analyst-170117745.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2020/05/03/michael-jordans-1-billion-nike-endorsement-is-the-biggest-bargain-in-sports/#5714e09c6136