Here Are Some of the Retailers That Are Bringing Back Yeezys as the Brand’s Sell-Through Remains Solid
After distancing themselves from Kanye West and Yeezy last year, some retailers are beginning to start selling Yeezys once again.
Adidas is working with different wholesale partners on its second Yeezy drop as it looks to liquidate its leftover inventory since it ended its Yeezy partnership with Kanye West in October. Adidas said earlier this month that this drop would have more lower-priced products, like the foam runner, and would be spread throughout the lower-margin wholesale channel, as opposed to its first drop that was done entirely through Adidas channels.
According to a Tuesday note from Wedbush analyst Tom Nikic, JD Sports and its Finish Line banner, as well as Hibbett Sports, are participating in the launch. Currently, JD Sports and Finish Line have Yeezy stock available on their website. On JD’s website, a notice tells shoppers that Yeezys have “become a real rarity in recent days” in a paragraph that seems to encourage shoppers to purchase the brand soon.
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“Some might say the hype around Yeezy shoes has died down, but the wave is still alive, and JD Sports has just reopened the flood gates for your opportunity to own your own,” reads the site. “There’s no telling what the future holds for Adidas Yeezy, so time is of the essence.”
Hibbett reportedly pulled Yeezy products from shelves and cancelled future orders in the midst of Kanye West’s antisemitic statements last year. As of Tuesday midday, the sporting goods chain’s website was advertising Yeezy product. Hibbett did not return FN’s request for comment.
Notably, Foot Locker, which stopped selling Yeezy products in October, continues to distance itself from the brand. (There are no Yeezy shoes in the company’s upcoming launches page on its website.)
“It appears as though Foot Locker is sticking to its guns about cutting ties with Adidas’s Yeezy sub-brand,” Nikic wrote. “So, it appears that Foot Locker will not receive the modest bump in sales and gross margin that some investors had speculated they’d get from participating in this summer’s Yeezy releases.”
Foot Locker did not return FN’s request for comment.
Earlier this month, Adidas said it had seen positive results from its decision to start selling Yeezy products once again and donate some of the proceeds to organizations supporting people who were hurt by Kanye West, who made a series of repeated antisemitic statements before the partnership ended.
Adidas was initially left with leftover $1.3 billion, or 1.2 billion euros, worth of Yeezy product when the partnership ended. Last month, Adidas raised its full-year guidance, citing tailwinds from its first drop of the left-over Yeezy products in late May, which brought in around 400 million euros over the second quarter. Adidas said that it accrued 100 million euros that will be used for donations.
Including the recent Yeezy sales, Adidas said it now expects loss related to Yeezy inventory to cost the company closer to 400 million euros, down from the previously outlined 500 million euros.
When the current stockpile dissipates, Adidas said it has no plans to sell more Yeezy shoes.
