Taking a look at Nike's business through the lens of Porter's Five Forces.
Text of Nike Porter's Five Forces
Nike NYSE: NKE Porters Five Forces 1
Porters Five Forces is a model named after Michael E. Porter
that takes into consideration five market forces that play out on
any given company or industry. The five forces are: power of
buyers; power of suppliers; threat of substitutes; threat of new
entrants; and industry jockeying. This model examines these forces
thereby helping to determine a given companys strengths and
weaknesses. Porters Five Forces is also a way to view the potential
risks to which any given company may be exposed. Porters is a
valuable yet somewhat subjective tool. It is a starting point meant
to encourage further discussion. 2 What is Porters Five
Forces?
Please note there is no official method to score the model.
This method is simply a way to further categorize companies. Each
market force is scored on a scale of 1 5 with 1 representing the
lowest threat and 5 representing the highest threat. All five
forces are totaled for a final score. The lowest possible score is
5 and the highest possible score is 25. implies a lower threat
rating. implies a medium threat rating. implies a higher threat
rating. 3 Scoring
Power of Buyers The buyers in the case of Nike are consumers
like you and me. Professional athletes are advertising. They get
the gear out there for us to see. Athletic gear/apparel/footwear is
a $200 billion-plus market opportunity. All around the world Nike
is synonymous with sports. Consumers will often pay for what they
really want. Nike has been able to maintain a decent level of
pricing power on product; direct-to- consumer is helping the cause
as well. Score - 3 4
Power of Suppliers Suppliers are those that supply the
materials and produce the goods NKE sells. Its difficult to forget
the sweatshop issues and abusive labor practices of the past. From
the 10-K: We have thus far experienced little difficulty in
satisfying our raw material requirements. Nike has led the way in
supply chain transparency since these issues arose. With a
manufacturing presence of 719 factories in 44 countries spanning
almost 1 million workers (contracts), suppliers do hold some of the
cards. Score - 2 5
Threat of Substitutes One of the greatest threats in virtually
every walk of retail is the threat of substitutes. Generally
speaking there are plenty of substitutes in athletic
apparel/equipment. Materials and products exclusive to the brand
help to mitigate this threat. NKEs reputation for excellence,
leading market position and powerful brand that earns the stamp of
approval from many athletes do mitigate this threat somewhat.
Top-line growth over the last decade has been quite impressive.
Competition will continue to keep pace for the most part so
innovation will be key. Score - 3 6
Threat of New Entrants While the threat of new entrants is very
relevant in the retail space, NKE has built a fiercely loyal
customer base with both the quality of the offering and the power
of the brand. Can new entrants come in and start taking away NKE
sales? Of course. Do new entrants force NKE to cut prices to
maintain market share? Doubtful. NKEs leading position in the space
and reputation in the field protect it somewhat from new entrants.
Gross margin over time indicates a degree of pricing power. Score -
2 7
Industry Jockeying Sporting goods is a very large market
opportunity on a global scale. Signs of an active and competitive
industry can be seen in innovation, SG&A costs, social media
presence, etc. Constantly signing new athletes and endorsements.
Nike maintains its gold standard, however competitors like Adidas,
Under Armour and others are capitalizing on opportunities as well.
NKE also capitalizing on direct-to-consumer. NKE has had to
maintain spending, signs of a robust and competitive market. Score
- 4 8
Power of Buyers 3 Power of Suppliers 2 Threat of Substitutes 3
Threat of New Entrants 2 Industry Jockeying 4 9 Score