Reportedly, Nike Inc, (NKE) the world’s largest sportswear maker, is discontinuing its popular Nike Run Club (NRC) app in China from July. The U.S. sportswear brand announced to its mainland China users through the app and thanked them for their support. However, the sportswear giant did not give a reason for the decision but a company spokesperson informed that it plans to provide Chinese runners with an “enhanced and localized solution in the future”.
China is the company’s most profitable market with more than a million users. Nike App allows users to track their runs and challenge friends to compete, in several countries.
In the past year, other U.S. tech brands, including Linkedin and Yahoo, have ceased to offer or reduced services to users in mainland China, owning to reasons from censorship to demanding compliance requirements. China has put new curbs on internet companies in areas such as content and has also imposed new laws, such as one on personal information protection designed to protect users’ data privacy.
NIKE, Inc. (NKE) is the world’s top designer, marketer, and distributor of athletic footwear, equipment, apparel, and accessories. The Beaverton, Oregon-based company offers products for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. To learn more about NIKE, Inc. (NIKE) and to continue to track its progress please visit the Vista Partners NIKE Coverage Page.
