Nike adds B’luru jobs amid global cuts

BENGALURU: Even as Nike plans global job cuts as part of an overhaul of its operating model, the sportswear giant is expanding its workforce in India with a new Bengaluru campus. Employees at the campus will support operations across Nike, Jordan and Converse.Nike describes the campus as a hub for capabilities and innovation. Its prepared earnings remarks say employees there will work across several functions and collaborate with teams worldwide.Full-time employees already based in India will move there in phases from fiscal 2028. Nike expects to announce the location in 2027. It has not disclosed the investment amount or campus headcount.“This work will result in fewer roles across Nike,” chief executive Elliott Hill said in a note to employees. Decisions on affected roles will begin in 2027 and beyond. The company has not determined the number of jobs or their locations.“Bengaluru will play an increasingly important role in Nike’s future,” chief operating officer Venky Alagirisamy said. He described the campus as a long-term commitment to the local market and capabilities to serve consumers globally.The “Pace” overhaul also covers Nike’s supply chain and regional structure. North America and Latin America will form one region. Asia Pacific and Greater China will form another, with leadership based in Singapore. Europe, the Middle East and Africa will retain their current structure.According to Nike’s prepared earnings remarks, Pace is expected to deliver about $2.5 billion in savings. Implementation is expected to cost around $1 billion. First-quarter revenue fell 4% year-on-year to $11.2 billion.Separately, suppliers to Nike and other footwear brands are expanding factory operations in India.Taiwanese Nike supplier Feng Tay produced 4.2 crore pairs of shoes in India in 2025. Its annual report puts output growth at 13% year-on-year. India contributed 35% of its global production. Those figures cover Feng Tay’s output, not Nike’s total Indian production.Adidas supplier Evervan Kothari is expanding its Karur facility in Tamil Nadu. Guidance Tamil Nadu, the state investment agency, puts planned annual capacity at 4 crore pairs once both phases are fully operational.The Kothari group also manufactures Crocs footwear at Perambalur. Phoenix Kothari chairman J Rafiq Ahmed told TOI in March that expansion would take the plant’s annual capacity to 4 crore pairs.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.