As international coronavirus fears heat up, Nike has reportedly closed its third and fourth corporate offices.
Nike’s London headquarters in Soho are temporarily shut down amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Standard. Another Nike office, at Doxford Park near Sunderland, U.K., has also been closed temporarily.
The publication reports that the sportswear giant told about 150 employees to stay home from its London HQ through Thursday after a co-worker returned from vacation in a heavily infected area. Both the London and Doxford Park offices are reportedly closed for deep cleanings as a precautionary measure.
Nike’s European headquarters in Amsterdam was shuttered from Monday through Wednesday of this week for a deep cleaning after an employee was diagnosed with the coronavirus. Over the weekend, the Swoosh’s Beaverton, Ore., world headquarters closed for a thorough cleaning as well. The measure was taken in response to a presumptive coronavirus case in nearby Lake Oswego, a representative for the brand told FN, although no employees were known to have been exposed. The corporate campus reopened this week.
The novel coronavirus, which originated in the central China city of Wuhan, has killed over 3,200 people and infected more than 92,000. While the vast majority of cases have been confined to China, the last two weeks have seen a spike in infections outside the country, with South Korea, Italy and Iran among those hardest hit.
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Many companies have taken precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including limiting business travel, canceling events and urging employees to avoid heavily affected areas.
Several fashion and footwear brands — including Nike as well as Crocs, Wolverine World Wide and Skechers — have warned that their bottom lines could be negatively impacted for the fiscal year due to the coronavirus outbreak. In February, Nike warned that about half of its stores in China had been closed due to the virus, but, the company said, the stores that remained open were reducing hours and had seen less foot traffic.
New Nike CEO John Donahoe said there was a potential for decreased earnings, but he noted that “dynamics continue to evolve.”
“Nike’s long-term opportunity to continue to serve consumers in Greater China with inspiration, and innovation remains exceedingly strong. At the same time, we continue to have extraordinary brand and business momentum in all other geographies,” he said in a February statement.
Nike did not immediately respond to FN’s request for comment on the latest round of reported closures.
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