Nike’s sales surging after advert protest

ONLINE sales at Nike have surged by almost a third after the company ran an advertising campaign featuring a controversial American football star.

The sportswear group’s sales jumped during Labor Day weekend, a public holiday which celebrates US workers, according to research firm Edison Trends.

This was despite a backlash that followed the debut of its advert starring Colin Kaepernick, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers. The NFL star sparked controversy when he began kneeling during the national anthem at games in protest against police brutality and racial inequality.

Donald Trump criticised Nike and shares fell 3pc at one point last week amid calls by some for a boycott. But Hetal Pandya, co-founder of Edison Trends, said: ‘There was speculation that the Kaepernick campaign would lead to a drop in sales, but our data does not support that theory.’