Nike Goes All-In on Fitness & Wellness
The Swoosh has emerged as a serious competitor to established fitness and wellness brands. It’s latest endeavor is a wellness tour across Europe
Nike has mastered the world of activewear as the largest supplier of athletic footwear and apparel. But in recent months, the Beaverton, Oregon, company has been expanding beyond training gear and diving feet-first into fitness and wellness, now launching its first-ever Nike Well Festival in London.
The London event will kick off a “celebration of movement and mindfulness” tour in European cities.
Presented by the new Nike Well Collective on March 2, 2024, at Woolwich Works, the inaugural event in London will host areas of movement, mindfulness, nutrition, and recovery, including “energy tanks” with 45-minute yoga, HIIT, and dance fitness sessions and numerous workshops.
Tickets provide entry to a “chosen wave” that includes a signature workout session, a food token and a Nike water bottle and tote bag. While upcoming Nike Well Festival dates and locations haven’t been announced, those interested can be notified of future lineups here.
Just Do It Wellness
Nike unveiled Well Collective last summer as an initiative to embrace wellness as more than just athleticism but mindfulness, nutrition, rest and connection. Instead of just a mere marketing campaign to hop on the booming wellness bandwagon, the activewear company added over 1,000 global fitness trainers to create holistic fitness content, programming and experiences and tapped academics, researchers and medical professionals, including meditation advocate Deepak Chopra, M.D., to supply the collective with credible information.
Nike also rebranded its Nike Live stores to Nike Well Collective so consumers can shop for curated products such as apparel, footwear and accessories for yoga, HIIT, strength training and running.
Furthering its commitment to wellness on a corporate level, the sportswear titan continues to close its offices around the globe each year, allowing employees a chance to recharge for a week. Dubbed ‘Well-Being Week,’ the initiative began in 2021.
“As an employer and a brand, our goal is to help all athletes become their best selves,” wrote Monique Matheson, Nike executive vice president, chief human resources officer, on LinkedIn. “This is one way we can do that for our team.”
The Swoosh Launches Fitness Studios, Strength Equipment
While committed to becoming “more than the leading global sports brand” in its wellness push, Nike has also leaned toward in-person fitness studios and strength-training equipment.
The company made moves last year with the opening of Nike Studios, tapping into the boutique and group fitness trend in partnership with FitLab. The brand first launched Nike Training Studios and Nike Running Studios in locations in California and is soon headed to Austin, Texas, teasing a “See y’all soon” post on Instagram.
Soon after, the activewear company announced Nike Strength, a collection of strength training equipment with Nike-branded barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells and a bench featuring Nike’s famed Swoosh logo, satisfying 2024’s top wellness trend. The collection is available on Nike Strength’s website as well as retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Scheels.
