Nike’s Success Nike performed well during the last quarter. Business was up i

Nike’s Success
   Nike performed well during the last quarter. Business was up in every major market, in every category, both in its own stores and at wholesale.
   Overall quarterly revenue rose 15% to $8 billion, compared with the same period last year, the company said on Thursday. It was the company’s biggest gain in the past year.
   While the World Cup certainly helped, along with a long-awaited improvement to Nike’s China business, one key takeaway for the company was that women are increasingly important customers for the sportswear company.
   Nike CEO Mike Parker told analysts on a conference call on Thursday that efforts to cater to women have been a big help like developing female-focus apps and regularly updating the selection of women’s products.
   The Nike + training club app, which features dozens of workouts tailored to women, has been downloaded 17 million times, he said. And clothing like the sculpt tights for women has sold well.
   Another big bright spot for Nike was China, where revenue grew 20% when currency fluctuations are stripped out. For more than a year, the company had been saddled with excess merchandise in that market after misreading consumer demand and selling merchandise Chinese customers didn’t want. In Europe, where Nike has been eating Adidas’ lunch, sales rose 25%.
   There are also signs Nike’s hot streak will continue. The company noted a 14% hike in advance orders, for merchandise to be delivered between now and January, well above the 10% Wall Street analysts expected, according to Consensus Matrix.