Nike to open shops inside JCPenney

Retailer is latest to boost offerings in active wear market

Shoppers visiting JCPenney now will be able to stop at Nike without walking out the door.

JCPenney announced Tuesday it is featuring designated Nike shops within more than 600 of its stores.

The 500- square- foot areas are located within JCPenney men’s departments. They will welcome customers with signs bearing Nike’s trademark swoosh, and shoppers can pick out clothing to wear for jogging, playing basketball or working out in the gym.

JCPenney is the latest retailer to boost its offerings of active wear. The category has proved a lucrative niche, often boasting more robust sales than the overall clothing sector. A key focus for stores has been “athleisure,” fashionable yet comfortable sweatpants, leggings and other casual attire that has become the go- to wardrobe for many Millennial women who want to be able to wear the same outfits to the office that they wear to the gym or on a weekend errand. That trend has caught on with men as well.

“Nike is immensely popular across all categories, and with the rapid rise of active wear and athletic shoes, we want to have the best expression of Nike in any department store,” John Tighe, chief merchant for JCPenney, said in a statement.

In June, Lands’ End launched Lands’ End Sport, a line of casual T- shirts, polos and other pieces of active wear. The following month, Kohl’s said it would increase the amount of space devoted to active wear in its stores and start to offer the Under Armour brand of athletic and fitness clothing.

At JCPenney, Nike athletic shoes will be located next to the new in- store shops.

2012 PHOTO BY ADEK BERRY, AFP/ GETTY IMAGES “With the rapid rise of active wear and athletic shoes, we want to have the best expression of Nike in any department store,” John Tighe, chief merchant for JCPenney, said in a statement.