Skechers is pushing deeper into performance categories across Asia as it evolves from a footwear brand into a broader lifestyle and sportswear business. In an interview with Inside Retail in September 2026, Cedrick Tan explained how the company adapts its strategy across diverse regional markets.
The push comes 1 year into life as a privately held company. Skechers is expanding its focus beyond footprint expansion to deepen customer relationships through retail experiences, sports, entertainment, communities and local partnerships.
Tan said the company sees room to grow across running, golf, football and emerging sports like pickleball, supported by proprietary technologies such as Hands Free Slip-ins, Arch Support and Glide-Step. The assortment also incorporates apparel, accessories and market-specific items like sports hijabs across Southeast Asia.
Splitting Performance and Mass Retail
Sportswear growth in Asia requires a divided merchandising model. Mature metro markets demand technical running and convenience-oriented shoes. Developing hubs, meanwhile, require sharper entry price points and everyday utility.
Rivals like Nike and Adidas have faced inventory clearing cycles across Asia when pushing uniform global performance lines into secondary cities. Skechers aims to avoid those markdowns. It pairs its walking foundation with sport-specific entry models, lowering the price barrier for recreational runners and weekend athletes.
Shifting Channel Strategies for Mall Landlords
For shopping centre operators across Southeast Asia, the broader sportswear lineup alters floor space requirements. Skechers stores now compete for larger inline units instead of standard footwear bays. That footprint growth pressures traditional multibrand sports retailers that depend on basic sneaker sales.
Growth should not be about expansion for its own sake. It needs to be relevant, sustainable and grounded in consumer demand.
Apparel and sports accessories carry different margin profiles than molded footwear, raising supply chain demands for regional franchisees. Localized collections like modest athletic wear give the company an edge. The approach targets shoppers in Indonesia and Malaysia whom Western performance brands often overlook.
Transition to Private Operations
This merchandise pivot builds on a restructuring completed in September 2025, when Skechers shifted to operate as a privately held entity. Free from quarterly reporting pressure, regional managers recalibrated distribution networks. They moved away from door-count growth to focus on experiential stores and category-specific sports marketing.
Distribution speed will test operations next as autumn performance collections roll out to flagship stores in Singapore, Bangkok and Jakarta.
