• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, February 11, 2009

Add Nike to the list of marketers doing more with less: The marketing powerhouse is restructuring, and says its restructuring plan will boost consumer-focused products, but may lead to the elimination of 4% of its 35,000-strong workforce.

"In light of the current economic climate, it is more essential than ever to sharpen our focus on the consumer to maximize opportunities for product innovation and brand management in the marketplace," the company says in its release. "The decision to reduce our workforce is a difficult one, but it will put our business in the strongest position possible to continue to deliver long-term profitability and growth."

The company says it will not know how many jobs will be lost until it completes its strategic review, which is scheduled to occur by the end of its fiscal year this spring.

In its most recent quarterly results, Nike registered a strong 6% increase in global sales, but said its future orders--those scheduled for delivery through April of this year--were 1% lower than the prior year. And while overall sales gained 1% in the U.S., sales in apparel fell 3%, equipment sales dropped 17%, and pretax income fell 18%, largely due to lower margins and increased selling costs related to its retail expansion.

That compares with an industry-wide softness in the U.S. NPD footwear was down about 1.5% in the three months ending in September, while active apparel posted a modest 0.7% gain.

In a restructuring several years ago, Nike divided itself by sport, and the company says this latest change is "an evolution of that strategy and would bring the company closer to consumers, reduce management layers and leverage efficiencies to increase speed-to-market advantages globally. As part of this effort, the company will review its entire supply chain from the sourcing base to the retail footprint to ensure it is in the best position to bring elevated consumer experiences to market."