The collection aims to empower and elevate the future of women in sport Part II comprises of court-worthy footwear complemented by pre-and-post-game apparel available in inclusive sizing
Source: adidas Basketball Announces the Candace Parker Collection Part II “Play Your Ace”
adidas Basketball announced a partnership with Foot Locker. When they dropped that information, I wrote a post explaining why performance basketball wouldn’t work at Foot Locker:
I’ve tracked adidas basketball at Foot Locker for years. There has never been a lot of the product in this region, but the sneakers that were there didn’t sell very well. This is because Foot Locker allowed Nike to use them as a showroom. For years Nike delivered the hottest sneakers which removed the need for more knowledgeable sales associates. A Foot Locker employee can’t tell you the function of a performance model, but they can tell you about the latest popular styles. This doesn’t help with basketball releases.
The fact that this collection for CP3 (the one with rings) is a perfect alignment with Dick’s Sporting Goods. DSG handles the majority of team sales in basketball and is typically the first-place parents will go when considering hoops equipment for their kids. DSG has also redesigned stores to highlight apparel and give collections a full visual merchandising setup. This allows visitors to see the items as they are meant to be viewed. Foot Locker relies on a classic fold and hang display merchandising strategy in smaller stores. Could the Candace Collection work in a Power Store setting? Definitely.
Until there are enough of those locations, it’s a smart strategy to roll out the Collection as the WNBA Playoffs will be starting in August heading into September and Candace’s Chicago Sky are the number one team looking like they are ready to pull off the back-to-back. What remains to be seen is if DSG and adidas understand where the consumer is for this product. Dropping images on IG or TikTok won’t move the needle. Both brands will have to captue the parents or the coaches. This is a good partnership, but it will require a grassroots strategy to really connect the dots.
P.S. the Exhibit B sneaker is being labeled as a signature shoe for Candace. There isn’t a logo on the shoe for CP3. The model looks like an in-line model for team basketball. It won’t have street crossover appeal but should perform well as October arrives and high school practices start.