Nike scores a domestic touchdown in quarter ahead of Kaepernick campaign

Nike turned in a strong performance across the US in the first quarter of its trading year, with sales at home climbing 6% year-on-year.

Revenues for the first three months of its trading year increased 10% to $9.9bn, feeding through to profits up 15% to roughly $1bn.

However, these figures come from the quarter before the debut of Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad campaign - of which chief executive Mark Parker said he was "very proud".

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback divided Americans when knelt during the US national anthem back in 2016 as part of a protest against racial injustice in the US.

While Nike shares dropped around 3% after the advertisements were released, sales rocketed after the campaign led to a record level of engagement with consumers.

"Like many campaigns, it's driving a real uptick in traffic and engagement, both socially as well as commercially," said Parker.

The progress in North America, which makes up 40% of the footwear giant's sales, suggested that Nike was now able to compete with a resurgent Adidas after three consecutive quarters of declining sales.

In China, Nike recorded a sales increase of 20% year-on-year, while its Europe, Middle East and Africa division reported a 9% growth on the previous year.

In early trading on Wednesday, Nike shares dipped 2.58% to $86.21 each.