NIKE CLOSES ONTARIO SKATE PLANT TO MOVE PRODUCTION OVERSEAS

          Nike will close an ice-skate plant in Ontario, costing
     400 jobs, as it is "impatient with its underperforming Bauer
     division in Canada," according to Francois Shalom of the
     MONTREAL GAZETTE.  Bauer spokesperson Jennifer Damiani said
     the move was "prompted by overcapacity," and that production
     may be shifted to Asia or eastern Europe, possibly Finland,
     but "ruled out" Bauer's plant in the Czech Republic, which
     serves the European market.  The GAZETTE's Shalom notes that
     overcapacity "results from the company's conclusion" that it
     will have to outsource production of some skates,
     "particularly low-end skates that come up against stiff
     competition from manufacturers with plants where cheap labor
     and low costs prevail" (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 4/12).