Asics rode a wave of strong sales in the third quarter on a 21.3 percent increase globally that was boosted by its performance running and lifestyle categories, the company reported on Thursday.
The company later raised its earnings forecast for the year. In North America, sales were up $249 million compared to $236 million at the same point last year — and through nine months, net sales in the region increased 7.9 percent.
Performance running and SportStyle line of lifestyle footwear and apparel were the company’s main bright spots with running speciality at just over 20 percent growth from the same time last year.
“We continue to pursue quality business while offering premium products during this exciting time for our industry,” Koichiro Kodama, president and CEO of Asics North America said in a statement. “This quarter, we saw great response for new products introduced into the market and from our retail partners, along with the consistent strength of our performance run, SportStyle and core performance sports product offerings.”
Running continues to be a bright segment for the company in North America, with a balanced footwear lineup that expanded this year as the “Blast” family got new additions with the Megablast and Sonicblast to join the Superblast and Novablast. Overall, the running category is up just over 20 percent compared to the same time last year and Asics also notes that longtime “heritage” lines that bear the Gel designation, like the Nimbus and Cumulus, have shown a nearly 30 percent jump in sales compared to the same period last year.
The SportStyle category is another lane that has kept Asics competitive in a crowded lifestyle arena and propelled high double-digit sales increases, according to the company. The GEL-Kayano, GT-2160 and GEL-1130 have all been standouts in the fashion-focused lifestyle stage as consumers keep leaning to retro footwear looks that once ruled the pavement on training runs.
