Brand sneakers from "Sportmaster" - why they are cheaper than the official ones

The history of the Sportmaster chain of stores began in the 1990s. It was created by four graduates of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, who saw much more prospects in the trade in goods for outdoor activities than in scientific work. It all started with the import of Kettler simulators - wealthy people who want to buy them have already appeared in the country, and Sportmaster had no competitors yet. 

How the sports universe was created 

The network very quickly became a group of companies, earning, among other things, by selling franchises, launching new brands (for example, O'Stin casual clothing) and own production. About 70% of the goods from its catalog "Sportmaster" nike dunk low off white makes independently. For this, a whole ecosystem of brands has been created, including Termit, Nordway, Joss and the most famous of them - Demix.

Interestingly, the network prefers not to focus on its own ownership of this parade of brands. Yes, the standard scheme works here - the goods created in the depths of Sportmaster are stamped at Chinese factories under strict quality control by the customer. But from a marketing point of view, it is more correct to inspire buyers that the network actually sells products from the best brands selected around the world.

Not only my 

Homemade products are great. Everything is under control: the volume of deliveries, the assortment, the materials and technologies used, and most importantly, the cost and profit. But it is impossible to build a large international network of sporting goods only on its young brands, and nike dunk low off white Sportmaster stores today, in addition to Russia, also operate in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Armenia and even China. At the end of 2019, a major Danish competitor was bought, as a result of which our network has 89 more stores and a base for development in Western Europe. 

Therefore, on the shelves and hangers of "Sportmaster" there are a lot of goods of world sports brands with a long history: Nike , Puma , Kappa , Asics , Fila , Columbia , Skechers . 

Budget crosses - the mystery of the network 

In Sportmaster stores you can see many branded items of clothing and footwear, which are often cheaper than in the branded departments of the supplier itself. Let's close the provocative topic right away - no, the network does not sell fakes. All these budget models are original, but with an interesting history of appearance. 

One example is the Nike Nightgazer sneakers sold at Sportmaster in 2019. Using the bonus system of the store, they could be bought for less than 3,000 rubles. On Amazon, both then and now, they are noticeably more expensive - from $ 70. A similar situation with the Nike Air Monarch IV sneakers from the 2020 collection. In "Sportmaster" they were sold for 4000-4500 rubles, so the model appeared en masse on the streets of even small Russian cities. And on the same Amazon, “monarchs” are now more expensive than $100.

So where do cheap Nikes come from?

The reason here is the division of markets and the general desire to make money. “Sportmaster” understands that he needs branded sneakers for the mass market, and “demixes” cannot close this need. Buyers want to see Swooshes and a jumping cat on their feet. Well, Nike is not at all opposed to firmly settling in a niche not only of 200-dollar sneakers, but also where they are not ready to pay more than 50 bucks for a pair. 

This does not apply to the entire range. The same “airmaxes” in “Sportmaster” are sold for a full-weight 10,000 rubles and more. 

As a result, everyone is satisfied - the manufacturer, the distribution network and the buyer. The latter receives completely original shoes, although adjusted for the fact that they were made specifically for Sportmaster and not the richest market in the post-Soviet countries. We will not rule out that the manufacturer on such orders optimizes costs by reducing the cost of materials and the technological process. However, we are still talking about original shoes, the quality of which is guaranteed, at least, by the authority of the brand itself and the network of sports stores.