The Opportunity

Zelus operates at the intersection of sport, brand and commerce as Nike’s exclusive global licensee (ex-North America) for team, athletic and fan sports apparel. The sportswear market is expanding rapidly, driven by increasing grassroots participation and the rise of global fandom. Still, given its sheer size, Nike has historically lacked the agility to serve this long tail of demand. Zelus fills that gap by designing and developing bespoke kits for previously overlooked grassroot teams. With a unique model, embedded Nike integration, and growing access to top-tier clubs and federations, the Business is primed for step-change growth. Since 2019, Zelus has scaled significantly but was restrained with limited long-term strategic planning. With Sullivan Street’s backing, Zelus is now in its next phase of growth with three strategic priorities:

• Digital and channel transformation: Zelus is moving into direct-to-consumer with the launch of niketeamsport.com, offering fully customised and stock products to grassroots consumers across Europe.
• Product and geographic expansion: Zelus is scaling its Football offerings across a wider variety of clubs, entering new territories such as Greater China and South America, and extending into accessories and equipment.
• Leveraging scalable supply chain: Zelus is well placed to absorb growth through its global operations – unlocking meaningful operational leverage while preserving service quality and delivery speed.