Why Journeys’ Broader Product Mix Is Resonating With Teen Shoppers

# The strategy in plain terms

# What changed at merchandising Chris Santaella, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Journeys Group, says the company took its best-performing brands and accelerated them, while also bringing in new names. Examples cited include Hoka and Veja, and Nike reentered Journeys stores in November 2025 after a several-year absence.

The move to rebuild Nike's presence was strategic: Journeys had developed multibrand, multicategory sales in Nike's absence, then added the Swoosh back into an already diversified assortment. The retailer began the Nike rollout with key women's styles and planned to add men's assortments subsequently.

# Why female-focused merchandising matters Journeys adopted a "Lead With Her" strategy that centers the female teen shopper. Company leadership frames the addressable market for style-conscious teen girls as several times larger than the retailer's traditional base. That shift meant expanding women's offerings across categories and silhouettes. Santaella highlighted that the women's business now includes a broad range of brands, categories and items performing well, unlike the men's business, which he described as narrower.

For back-to-school, Journeys leaned into lower-profile looks across multiple brands—mary janes, ballerina shapes and wedges—presenting dressier athletic alternatives that give shoppers new styling options.

# How assortment changes showed up in results In its fiscal second quarter ended Aug. 1, Journeys reported broad-based strength. Specific areas called out were lifestyle running, sandals, lower-profile athletic styles and newer fashion looks. Company leaders tied growth to assortment breadth and to merchandising choices such as color, material and pattern extensions on strong sellers like the Adidas Samba.

# Brand partnerships and store experience Journeys used its 4.0 store concept and renewed brand relationships as selling points when courting partners. John Miller, president of Adidas North America, described the partnership with Journeys as a strategic collaboration grounded in a shared consumer focus.

Santaella emphasized the day-to-day work of staying in market—spending time in stores and with brand partners globally—to read teen trends and make quick assortment moves. The retailer credits both deeper brand buy-in and closer market contact for its ability to deliver products that match fast-moving teen preferences.

Company executives, including Genesco CEO Mimi Vaughn, have contrasted Journeys' diversified, style-led approach with competitors that rely more heavily on legacy athletic sneakers. Journeys' strategy aims to serve a broader style-based teen audience and has been cited as a reason the chain avoided some of the headwinds affecting other mall-based athletic retailers.

# Practical implications for retailers and brands

• Retailers: Broaden assortments to match multi-brand teen wardrobes rather than betting on single-brand loyalty. Focus on women's styling opportunities where demand appears wider.

Journeys' approach shows a chain-level effort to meet teens where they actually shop and dress, trading a one-size pigeonhole for a range of shoes that reflect mixed, style-driven wardrobes.