Sports
Keep Running Expands: How Brands Earn Shelf Space
With a new Morumbi store, Igor Santos explains brand selection and why branding outshines price wars.
Keep Running is preparing to open a compact store in Morumbi featuring a curated lineup of brands. Founder Igor Santos breaks down the specialty retail curation strategy and the vital importance of brand consistency in road running.
The expansion of specialty running retail requires a balance between market footprint and brand identity. When planning the opening of its second physical store in São Paulo's Morumbi neighborhood—located in an open-air mall integrated with gyms like Bodytech and Studios Bio Ritmo—Keep Running adopted a more compact model compared to its traditional flagship on Sena Madureira Street.
While the flagship store hosts around 15 manufacturers, the new location was built around the six brands driving the highest sales volume and deepest connection with the running community: Adidas, Nike, Mizuno, ASICS, New Balance, and On Running. For founder Igor Santos, the selection reflects both sales performance and the ongoing engagement these multinational giants foster with their audience.
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Retail as a brand catalyst
Choosing which brands make it to the shelves isn't just about margins or cost. According to Igor, Keep Running's positioning prioritizes value creation and content rather than joining the e-commerce price wars. The store acts as a catalyst that amplifies products through in-person group runs, social media activations, and executive talks, but the primary responsibility of establishing brand identity lies with the manufacturer.
When a brand fails to sustain its narrative in the sport, the retailer shoulders an outsized risk by investing in inventory. A runner's connection with their shoes depends on how clearly a company communicates its technical proposition and purpose in the performance category.
The danger of losing focus in the running market
One of the main hurdles for emerging brands seeking sustainable shelf space in Brazilian retail is shifting priorities. Igor points to the example of 361°, which ran one-off running campaigns before pivoting its communication toward basketball. For specialty retailers, this lack of focus creates uncertainty and deters investment.
In the road running ecosystem, technical competition among established footwear brands is fierce. Without a structured long-term effort and aligned purpose between manufacturer, retailer, and runner, merely having an attractive product or aggressive pricing won't secure a top spot in an athlete's rotation.
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