The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that Nike is running out of time to prove its China playbook works as its sixth straight quarterly decline in sales in the country underscores how a market once seen as a growth engine has become the biggest pressure point for the U.S. sportswear giant. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says second-quarter footwear sales dropped 21 per cent in China, which accounts for roughly 15 per cent of Nike's annual revenue. "It's clear we need to reset our approach to the China marketplace," chief executive officer Elliott Hill said on Thursday's call. The company's struggles in China are long-standing and investors never expected a quick return to growth, but Mr. Hill's aggressive push to refresh product offerings and cut legacy lifestyle lines has not provided even the slow, steady progress investors had hoped for. Instead, margin pain is mounting: second-quarter gross margins fell about 300 basis points, hit by tariff costs and a glut of obsolete inventory. Nike's shares are down 13 per cent this year and are on track for a fourth straight year of declines. The structural challenges are stark in a consumer market beset by fierce competition and shopper fatigue.