Nike is shutting down online shopping in New Zealand from next month but has confirmed its retail stores won’t be affected.

The American sportswear company announced today that nike.com online shopping and the Nike phone app will no longer be available in New Zealand “starting 3 October 2023 00:00 NZDT” but customers can keep making new orders until 11.59pm October 2.

When approached for comment, a spokeswoman for Nike NZ could not confirm the reason for suspending online sales but said physical stores across the country are not impacted.

A spokeswoman for Nike’s Australia and New Zealand franchise partner, Retail Property Group, told the Herald it would not provide any comments at this time.

The company made the announcement on its website saying sales will continue in-store and through its retail partners.

“We’ll continue to serve consumers in NZ our latest innovations at physical Nike-branded stores and our multi-brand retail partners. You can continue to shop your favourite Nike products by visiting a retail store near you.”

New Zealand Nike retailers include Rebel Sport, Platypus Shoes and UK retailer JD Sports, as well as Nike’s own retail stores.

Nike is sold from dedicated stores in Onehunga’s Dress-Smart, Westfield St Lukes, Kiwi Property’s Sylvia Park, Westfield Newmarket and Botany.

Last year, the Herald reported plans to open a Nike store on 228 Queen St. This came after the closure of its Britomart store last January in a push by Nike to reduce its number of retail partners.

The footwear giant has slashed the number of physical retailers featuring its products to grow its own channels.

Nike has announced a suspension to its online sales in NZ starting next month.

The Queen St store opened last October with a new “live” concept that has led to a big sales uplift overseas.

Nike live has been reported in the United States as being “the secret to retail success”, making every customer feel like a VIP, encouraging more QR code scanning, giving hand-written notes to customers and resulting in brand membership conversions six times higher than elsewhere.

Nike opened its first live concept store in Los Angeles around 2018. Other stores then brought in the experience in California’s Long Beach and Tokyo’s Shibuya, overseas media reported.

Britomart franchise owner Bryan Eible told the Herald Nike’s decision to end the franchise agreement felt like losing a precious gift.

Nike says it is the world’s largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$37.4 billion ($60b) in its fiscal year 2020.

Nike said New Zealand customers will still be able to access orders, member profile information and self-service returns support in New Zealand, and make returns on products within 30 days of purchase.

The company’s other apps will still be on offer in New Zealand, including the Nike Run Club and Nike Training Club, which offer users guided training sessions and advice.