Nike's USA VP has resigned after report about her son's reselling business

Yesterday Nike announced that the vice president and general manager of the brand's North American division, Ann Hebert, had resigned. Hebert's departure from the Beaverton brand, a professional that has been with the company for over 25 years, shortly follows the publication of a Bloomberg article featuring Hebert's son Joe and his business. 

The article published last week on Bloomberg Businessweek, in fact, revealed that Hebert's son had used his mother's credit card to buy limited edition or highly anticipated sneakers, then reselling them through his reselling business. The report talks about a figure that is around $100,000 dollars, the money used by Joe to buy the kicks, which have made his business grow exponentially, on Instagram with the name West Coast Streetwear, which even during the months pandemics continued to thrive. According to Bloomberg, the son of the top manager Nike also bought sneakers from Foot Locker at a discounted price to resell them at higher prices on his channels.  

As you can see well on Joe's IG profile, who in all the photos has his face obscured or awkwardly hidden, the reselling business was not only focused on Nike sneakers, but also on adidas and Yeezy, as well as the apparel of BAPE, Supreme, Palace. Beyond the classic aesthetic that has always characterized the world of reselling, what is striking is the number of products that Joe used to post, piles and piles of boxes in a volume that can only be found in specialized stores. 

Joe confirmed to Bloomberg that Hebert is indeed his mother, but denied ever receiving inside information or discounts from his mother, who had told Nike about her son's business as early as 2018. The decision to resign came independently and rather suddenly, according to a Nike spokesman. 

Hebert, who started her career at Nike in the sales department, starting a climb that had brought her to the top of the North American division of the brand, is responsible for the new retail strategy of the brand, which in recent months has increasingly focused on a direct-to-consumer model, opting for direct sales channels, preferring them to external retailers or e-commerce like Amazon. 

Nike said it will announce the name of Hebert's replacement soon.