JD Sports Fashion is looking to expand its U.S. store network to around 800 over the next five years as it aims to convert half its Finish Line outlets – the sportswear chain acquired in 2018 – into JD-branded shops, under plans outlined by new chief executive Regis Schultz. The other half will be new stores focused on the western side of the US. The program, added to expansion plans in Europe and Asia, would result in about 1,400 stores opening over the next five years, taking the total to more than 2,400, Schultz said in an interview with the Sunday Times newspapers.
JD’s challenge will be raising brand awareness in the U.S., where it has 295,000 Instagram followers compared with 2.1 million in the U.K. The retailer is using payment data to track consumers who are spending at rivals and then bombarding them with adverts when they watch YouTube. When JD opens a store, it gives local influencers $550 of store credit in exchange for them broadcasting their shopping spree to followers.
