Nikes are getting even more exclusive following a plan announced in 2017 to remove its products from its retail partners. Since the announcement, it has "exited about 50%" of those partners, and now it is leaving one more, according to Nike executive Mattew Friend.
Now DSW shoes will lose their stock of the athletic shoes starting in 2022, according to an announcement from Nike. The athletic company is continuing to cut ties with stores and instead looking to sell products through its own shops, websites, mobile apps, and select retailers, according to CNN.
Nike has been attempting to tighten control over how its products are showcased and sold in recent years by removing its products from traditional retailers.
This move by Nike has hurt some independent sneaker and athletic shops that rely heavily on selling the swoosh.
It was announced on an earnings call for Designer Brands, the parent company of DSW, that Nike had sent its last shipment to the company in September, and once their stock is sold online and in stores, they will be gone from its shelves forever, CNN reported.
Nike was the company's largest athletic goods supplier making up about 7% of DSW's sales in 2020.
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In September, when Friend announced the swoosh had left close to half of its retail partners, it also said it would focus on just 40 retail partners, including Foot Locker and Dick's Sporting Goods.
According to CNN, if the athletic company sells its products on its own website and physical stores, it makes more than double what it would through wholesale partners. It also gives Nike more control over the shopper experience and pricing.
Nike isn't the only athletic company to make this move, either. Under Armour and Adidas are also limiting their retail partners to have better direct-to-customer sales channels.
However, this will not be the end for DSW, as the company thinks it can make up for the loss in revenue by helping grow other athletic brands.
"We are getting strong results really across our entire athletic portfolio," Designer Brands CEO Roger Rawlins said during an analyst call Tuesday, CNN reported.
