Running specialty retailers see high demand, and the brand is invited to the Sport 2000 Running Experts Fair.
The all-new Danish running shoe, MOVV, is out on the market. Last time SGI Europe spoke to the creator, Nikolai Christensen, former Vice President Product at KEEN and long-time Vice President Lifestyle at ECCO, was in October 2024. Back then, the shoes were still in production, and he had his first pre-orders from retailers in Denmark, Belgium and Germany. Since the release in April at retailers across Europe, it has all moved quickly for MOVV, as the first batch of shoes has reached MOVV’s first retailers and end-customers.
When SGI Europe reaches Christensen, he is planning to attend with his brand the Sport 2000 Running Experts Fair in Mainhausen, Germany, one of the biggest sales exhibitions in the industry.
“Yes, it feels great,” says Christensen. “The Running Experts within Sport 2000 are the best of the best running specialty doors in Europe,” he adds, noting that the number of retailers selling his shoes – the neutral model called MOVV Nostara (another model is coming after summer) – is steadily increasing.
MOVV is now sold in 11 stores in Denmark, 11 stores in Germany, one in the Netherlands, eight stores in Belgium, and one in the UK. Christensen believes this number will expand significantly in the near future.
How are sales going right now, since the release in April?
“The retailers are coming back to me with the same message: ‘We haven’t seen a new brand start this well.’ Sell-through is very strong in all stores, the new Scandinavian brand is well received and understood by runners across Europe.”
What kind of interesting information do you get from the NFC chip inside your shoes?
“Unfortunately, I have just gotten positive feedback about the design, especially about the shoe’s fit. I say ‘unfortunately’ because I want to have feedback on how to make the shoes even better. Like ‘why don’t you change the design like this?’ or ‘why don’t you put carbon in it?’. But it’s great to hear that the users think it’s performing well and is comfortable because you get one chance as a new brand when people buy a pair of your shoes. If they’re not happy, next time they will buy one of the major brands.”
And how is MOVV moving in the future? What will be the coming focus for you?
“During 2025, I will spend most of the time on my customers, the specialty retailers. To make sure they have enough shoes, supporting them, explaining the MOVV shoe/brand, and making sure the sell-through continues. After this summer, in September, we have a new support model launching (MOVV Solara). Geographically, the focus for MOVV is to expand in areas where we don’t have retailers, further out in Europe, our current running specialty stores are great, and we will continue to support them.”
You are a Danish brand, but there are no retailers yet that sell MOVV in Sweden, Norway or Finland. Why is that?
“That’s correct. The Nordic market is a little different from Central Europe. There are a few running specialists where we want to be, like Löplabbet in Sweden and Norway. We hope that in the future you will be able to find MOVV in stores across Sweden and Norway, our success in Denmark has been nothing but ‘mind-blowing’ so the potential is easy to see.”
