As Nike tries to lift itself out of a sales slump with a new chief executive on Monday, the rest of the athletic footwear industry is booming.

Retailers are expanding their reliance on brands beyond the famed swoosh.

Foot Locker, one of the largest global sneaker retailers, posted a return to comparable store sales growth in its most recent quarter, due in part to the chain diversifying its assortment of products to brands beyond Nike.

Designer Brands Inc, which operates DSW shoe stores across North America, is also expanding its sneaker offerings, while Fleet Feet, a US-based chain of running speciality stores, said it “has never seen product this strong” from trainer brands.

Designer Brands chief executive Doug Howe told investors last month the company is in the midst of a “pivot” to offering more athletic footwear — up to 42 per cent of its assortment this year, from 32 per cent in 2017. While overall sales at US DSW stores fell 3 per cent in the most recent quarter, sales of athletic footwear, including Nike, rose 16 per cent.

The positive momentum at sneaker chains across consumer categories — from fashion, to family, to speciality — underscores the optimism for athletic footwear writ large, if not for Nike. Earlier this month, the swoosh withdrew its financial guidance for the year and reported a 10 per cent drop in sales over the three-month period ended in August.

“Footwear is interesting because it can be recession-proof in a sense,” said Matt Priest, chief executive of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, a US trade association.

Even in adverse economic conditions with interest rates high, albeit coming down, “people still buy shoes in lieu of a new car or a washing machine”, he said.

Global retail sales of sports footwear totalled $165bn in 2023, up 23 per cent from 2018, according to Euromonitor. Growth occurred in every geographic region, led by Latin America, up 38 per cent, while Asia Pacific and North America remained the top two largest markets.

In the US, where 99 per cent of footwear is imported, sneakers are on the rise. Imports of athletic shoes are up more than 10 per cent year over year through August, Priest said, compared to a rise of just 1 per cent for all footwear.

Industry experts and retailers say the segment is performing well in part because of the broader “casualisation” of society, in which trainers are increasingly acceptable footwear in the workplace and for going out. 

“Once you discover that you can wear sneakers for almost everything, you hardly ever go back to heels”, Foot Locker chief executive Mary Dillon said last month. 

The fortunes of Foot Locker were once so closely tied to Nike that both companies cited one another for years in regulatory filings as their sole significant customer.

The proportion of Foot Locker’s inventory from Nike and its subsidiary Jordan brand peaked at 75 per cent in 2020, falling to 65 per cent last year.

At an investor conference last month, Dillon said Nike would “always” be an important partner, but emphasised the chain’s expanded offering of other brands, including Hoka, New Balance and On.

“Customers are voting. People want choice in this category. It’s very clear. They’re buying multiple brands and . . . using them for lots of different occasions,” Dillon said.

Some of the increased competitiveness in athletic footwear can be attributed to factors precipitated by Nike.

In 2017, the industry leader announced an aggressive plan to shift its sales strategy towards a direct-to-consumer model, moving away from what it called “mediocre retail”. This opened up shelf space at chains like Foot Locker for other brands.

That same year, Nike debuted its transformational Vaporfly 4% running shoe with improved foam and a carbon fibre plate in the sole, setting off an innovation arms race across the industry.

But Nike executives acknowledged the company pushed too hard into direct and online sales and failed to catch up with consumers who returned to shopping in stores as pandemic lockdowns eased. It is now working to win back retail partners.

“Our teams have been closely engaging with our partners since we acknowledged some of the mis-steps related to over-centring on direct [sales]”, said Matthew Friend, Nike’s chief financial officer, this month.

Foot Locker has said it expects a “return to growth” with Nike this year. Victor Ornelas, senior director of vendor management at Fleet Feet, a speciality chain for runners with 280 locations across the US, told the FT that “we have experienced an increase in energy and connections” from Nike beginning this year.

To be sure, there are weak spots in the global athletic shoe marketplace. UK athletic shoe chain JD Sports posted falling profits for the half-year through August, in large part due to operational changes and the closure of a distribution centre. 

Still, brands other than Nike have stepped up. At Foot Locker’s flagship store in New York City, autumn displays this month featured Timberland boots and Ugg slides, as well as prominent showcases for New Balance and Hoka.

Ornelas of Fleet Feet said brands are distinguishing themselves with footwear that can be used for various purposes — fusing the latest technology of performance foam soles, useful for running, with an upper part of the shoe in neutral colours that can be worn with a range of outfits.

“We are heavy into booking season right now for [shoes that will arrive in spring] 2025, and we’ve never seen product this strong,” said Ornelas.

A HOTEL resort in Spain is said to be more like Thailand – despite being right by Benidorm.

Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa has the “serenity, peace and quiet of South-East Asia” according to the website.

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It was named Spain‘s Leading Hotel in the this year’s Wold Travel Awards.

A number of famous celebrities have stayed too, including Wayne Rooney and Bruce Willis.

Surrounded by 370,000sqm of pine forest, the hotel itself has its own lush tropical gardens with 3,000 Asian species.

This includes a 200-year-old bonsai tree as well as bonsai and palm trees.

And on-site are seven swimming pool surrounded by the jungle, with four heated.

The adult-only Faces of Angkor pool is a Balinese style pool, heated and surrounded by huge stone statues.

Thailand is also known for its massages – and the hotel has its own Thai spa onsite.

There are nine restaurants too, ranging from Asia cuisine at Koh Samui as well as a range of Mediterranean options.

Taking your entire family? There is a kids play area, a Teens Club and a mini-dinner service for young guests, as well as a nanny service.

Rooms start from around £200 a night, or you can book a package holiday.

TUI has seven-night stays for as little as £1,077pp, including return flights.

Or book with Loveholidays for seven night stays from £819pp, with return flights.

Each of the rooms could with king-size beds, as well as huge TVs complimentary WiFi and amenity kids.

The hotel is only open until the end of the month before it closes for the season, although it will reopen again by May 2025.

Its easy to get to, as its around 40 minutes from Alicante Airport, or 24 minutes from the train station.

Another famous guest, Joan Collins, said: “Elegant and beautiful, the service and food GREAT!”

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Football player Zinedine Zidane said: “Thank you very much for your hospitality and friendliness. A beautiful place in Spain!”

Other guests have raved about it on Tripadvisor.

One wrote: “We really liked it, feeling like we were vacationing in Asia.”

A second agreed: “A taste of heaven amongst beautiful gardens a feeling of being whisked away to Thailand without the long haul flight.

“You’d think you were in Thailand not Benidorm.”

TUI has recently launched new hotels in Thailand, Vietnam and China.

A hidden bay in eastern Europe is said to be just like Thailand too.

We’ve also found some Maldives-style rooms that are actually at a hotel resort in Greece.

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Venezuela has cancelled the passports of dozens of journalists and activists since Nicolás Maduro claimed a re-election victory, part of what rights groups say is an intensifying campaign of repression against the authoritarian president’s opponents.

At least 40 people — mostly journalists and human rights activists — have had their passports annulled without explanation, according to Caracas-based rights group Laboratorio de Paz, which warns that the number is likely to be much higher due to Venezuelans’ fear of reporting cases.

Others have had their passports confiscated by authorities while attempting to board flights from the country’s main airport.

“It was terrifying,” said one rights activist, whose passport was taken by authorities at the airport last week without explanation. He declined to give his name for fear of reprisals. “I knew it was a risk that I could have my passport taken or be jailed when I got to the airport, and they went with the former.”

Carla, a journalist who chose not to give her surname, discovered while abroad that her passport had been cancelled.

“I asked myself, ‘now where do I come from,’” said Carla, who is not sure whether she will try to return home.

The cancellation of passports comes amid a wider campaign of repression in response to anti-government protests that broke out following an election verdict that has not been recognised by the Organization of American States, the US and the EU.

Maduro was declared the victor of the July 28 election by the government-controlled National Electoral Council, with 51 per cent of the vote to the main opposition candidate Edmundo González’s 43 per cent. The supreme court, another organ under Maduro’s sway, ratified the result. But the opposition released polling station tally sheets verified by independent observers showing that González won by a two-to-one margin.

The US congratulated González on winning the most votes, though has stopped short of recognising him as president-elect. Amid fears of his imminent arrest, González fled Venezuela for Spain last month.

“Unlike murder or torture, which have a higher political cost, the government has found that passport cancellation is an effective way to neutralise and muffle critical voices with minimal effort,” said Rafael Uzcátegui, co-director of Laboratorio de Paz.

Since protests broke out against Maduro’s declaration of victory, more than 2,000 people have been arrested and at least 24 people killed during large-scale protests. Maduro has also moved to stifle online dissent, blocking access to X amid a spat with its billionaire owner Elon Musk, and encouraging citizens to uninstall the widely used messaging platform WhatsApp.

Since assuming power following the death of Hugo Chávez in 2013, Maduro has overseen deepening repression amid an economic collapse that saw output contract by three-quarters in the eight years up to 2021, while more than 7mn Venezuelans have left the country.

Some migrants who want to go back to Venezuela now face difficulties in making the return. Since last month, any Venezuelan abroad with an expired passport must obtain a new passport costing about $200 or a travel document from a consulate or embassy at least 72 hours before travelling to Venezuela. But some countries that receive migrants, including the US, Peru and Panama, do not host Venezuelan diplomatic missions that can issue the documents.

Venezuelans can travel within the Mercosur region — the trade bloc suspended Caracas in 2016 — with just a national identity card, though only via direct flights to and from Venezuela. Bolivia, which recognised Maduro’s victory, is the only country in the Latin America grouping with direct flights to Caracas.

One activist, who declined to give their name, said their passport had appeared cancelled when they checked the government’s online registry, only for it to later appear valid. They decided to travel to and from Venezuela by crossing the porous western border into Colombia, rather than through an official checkpoint.

“It’s a policy to instigate fear,” they said. “So I preferred to avoid the airport and cross by land, and I did the same to get back.”

A WOMAN has transformed a dull garden shed into a colourful home office for free.

Tattoo artist Nic Smith, 47, from Andover, Hampshire, up cycled furniture and made her own curtains to turn her boring “white box” into a home studio.

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Nic designed the building to her ideal specifications and the curtains were either gifted or handmade.

While she already owned the furniture and just polished up the pieces she wanted to include.

It’s now her dream workspace with the unique look that she wanted.

She did though fork out £800 to a local upholster to get some work done on the existing furniture.

Nic has been tattooing for 13 years and has always been attracted to the maximalist style of design which inspired her colourful studio oasis.

She said: “I wanted to create a smaller, private studio on our property here, so I could work from home.

“We had a wooden building constructed at the end of our garden.

“I mainly work in an ornamental, illustrative style, lots of mandalas (circular designs), and shade with dot work.

“I love working in this style and am lucky that it’s pretty much all I do these days.”

Nic has had her own studio Songbird Tattoo for over a decade but just last year she made the switch to working from home and she created the studio of her dreams in her garden.

She added: “We had the building out in January 2022 at a cost of around £30,000.

“I haven’t spent anything on the renovation, the furniture was already mine.

“I had a local upholsterer redo the sofa and I made the curtains.

“It was really just the decoration that came down to me as I’d had it built to my exact specifications with the bathroom in one corner and the windows where I needed them.

“It was always going to be a maximalist style.

“My eyes are always happiest with patterns, be that on me, on my walls or in the tattoos I create.

Studio Costs:

Purpose Built Building: £30,000

Furniture: Free (already owned)

Curtains: Free (gifted and hand made)

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Wallpaper, Fabric and Cushions: Free (gifted)

Upholstery Work: £800

“Everyone loves it, I think it’s an unexpected hit of colour.

“Truly I love every single part of it, I designed it so what’s not to love for me, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea but walking up the garden towards it brings me joy.

“The only part of the build I struggled with was my own impatience.

“Once I had the idea I just wanted to get going but there was a four month wait on the building.

“Looking at it now I am amazed, how it went from a white box to what it is now, colour makes such a difference.

“My family and friends love it too, it is my sanctuary for work but it also doubles as a summer house so it’s a fabulous multi-use space.”

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Wineries in the small eastern European country of Moldova are increasingly turning to renewable energy as part of the nation’s westward shift and efforts to curb its reliance on Russian gas.

Cricova, founded in 1952 by a Soviet decree that bears the signature of Joseph Stalin, is one of the vineyards that reduced its energy costs by 25 per cent after building solar parks and improving its insulation.

“All of the wine production process has been modernised . . . as we are adapting to today’s consumers and global trends”, said Cricova director Sorin Maslo.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, Moldova accelerated its westward shift, applying for EU membership and looking for alternative energy sources to the Russian state-owned giant Gazprom.

Winemakers — a significant sector of the country’s economy — followed suit and started installing solar panels and insulating their facilities to reduce energy consumption. Cricova also pulled from public display Vladimir Putin’s wine collection of 607 bottles which the Moldovan government gave the Russian leader when he visited in 2008.

Moldova’s energy ministry estimates that last year households and businesses tripled their renewable energy sources, particularly photovoltaics.

Smaller businesses such as the new vinery Luca have also benefited from state subsidies to go green.

The owner Ion Luca told the Financial Times he avoided gas from the outset, when construction started in 2018, by investing in insulation and an electricity-powered heat pump at his winery in the town of Cricova, near the eponymous state company.

“We were Gazprom’s hostages and I did not want to depend on them,” Luca said.

Luca, who is part of the fourth generation of winemakers in his family, said that when the Soviets annexed Moldova in 1944, his grandparents lost their house, their vineyards and all other properties. They were labelled “enemies of the people” and sent to Siberia in 1949 as part of one of Stalin’s mass deportations.

After Stalin’s death, his family returned to Moldova, and his father helped set up the wine production at the Soviet winery in Cricova the dictator had ordered, but the Lucas never got their land back. In 2018, Ion Luca purchased his new vineyard which aims to be “the most sustainable winery” in Moldova.

Purcari, a Moldovan brand that has a strong presence on western markets after turning its back on Russia, is also going green.

Vasile Tofan, chair of the board of Purcari, said the shift was prompted by Russia’s repeated wine embargoes in the 2010s when Moscow sought to squeeze Moldova into cheaper deals.

“Fool me once, shame on thee, fool me twice, shame on me,” said Tofan. The Russian bans initially put Purcari “on our knees” but eventually proved “a blessing in disguise” as it accelerated the westward pivot.

In 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, Purcari produced “a liquid manifesto”, Freedom Blend, a wine made from Crimean, Georgian and Moldovan grape varieties. Purcari has since become a staple at festivals in neighbouring Romania and is available in the UK, Germany, Poland, as well as online.

Since 2021, Purcari has managed to cover a third of its energy consumption using solar panels. Tofan told the FT that the shift was bound to happen because Russia had been throttling Moldova’s gas supply and imposing price rises long before invading Ukraine, with the war just the latest catalyst for this transition.

Cricova, Luca and Purcari are also trying to make their business more sustainable by investing in lighter bottles, given that the biggest share of the industry’s carbon footprint is generated by producing and transporting heavy glass bottles. Luca also exports bag-in-box wines to Scandinavian markets.

A focus on wine quality and the revival of local varieties, which were lost in the Soviet era, can also boost exports, said Diana Lazăr, senior wine director at the international development company Chemonics.

Russia’s squeeze on the Moldovan economy “galvanised the transition to a more sustainable business model which does not just use cheap resources and can become a competitive advantage in the long run”, said Lazăr. “This way, the Moldovan winemakers are aligning themselves to the global trend.”