Nike

Nike, Inc. (officially pronounced as [naɪki], but outside the United States also as [naɪk]) is an American concern. In addition to its main brand Nike, the brands Air Jordan, Converse and Hurley also belong to Nike, Inc. The company's logo, the Swoosh, is one of the world's most recognizable and well-known trademarks.

Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight founded the company in 1962 under the name "Blue Ribbon Sports" (BRS) and changed its name to "Nike" in 1978, to the Greek goddess of victory Nikè. In 1980 the company received a stock exchange listing. Philip Knight was chairman of the board of directors until mid 2016 and Mark Parker is the CEO and president. Nike had sales of US $ 34.4 billion in the fiscal year that ran until May 31, 2017 and employed 74,400 employees worldwide.

Nike headquarters is located in Beaverton, Oregon. The head office for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, or EMEA for short, has been based in Hilversum since 1999. The European distribution center has been located in Laakdal (Forest) in Belgium since 1994 and shoes and clothing are distributed over the EMEA countries.