The owners of a small, family-owned sports store in Adelaide are fighting a global Japanese shoe company over its decision to stop supplying stock to their store.

Don and Kay Shipway, owners of the Sports Locker store in Prospect, said the company's decision to stop supplying their store with ASICS shoes, which make up 90 per cent of their turnover, will put them out of business.

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"We've been in this business nearly 40 years and then suddenly it's just taken away from us, so it's more of a personal thing for me," Ms Shipway said.

"It's been our life, and we're so passionate about the product and the business, so I'm really very, very upset."

The couple are headed to Japan to argue their case and are scheduled to visit the ASICS headquarters today.

Earlier this year ASICS restructured its distribution arrangements and decided to bypass an Australian distributor and supply stores directly.

But the company decided not to supply Sports Locker, despite renewing supplies for other sports stores in South Australia.

Mr Shipway said the decision is unfair, and to make matters worse, the company will not give an explanation as to why their store will not be supplied.

"It's important because of price competition," he said.

"The Government is doing reviews like the Harper review and the Senate has been working on parallel importing laws, and if these sporting companies go to an Apple marketing-type model, where the price competitiveness of shoes is lessened, then that's going to affect prices that families are paying for their sport.

"We've had a lady from one of the country areas who was virtually in tears as the conversation was going on, because it's going to cost her another $700, $800, $900 for a sporting family.

"So it's important I think from that point of view but it's important not just in South Australia but in other states as well."

Mr Shipway said if he gets to meet with the president of ASICS, he will ask for the reason behind their decision.

"You deal with people and particularly in the Japanese company overall, and they have a thing called an ASICS global code of conduct and they talk strongly about businesses built on trust and reputation and acting with integrity is more than ASICS's image and reputation — well, sometimes, those two don't gel," he said.

Mr Shipway said if this is happening to them, it will happen to others.

This could have been anyone's business: Xenophon

Independent senator Nick Xenophon, who has joined the couple in Japan, said all Australian businesses should be concerned about the case.

"This is a big deal because what's happened to Don and Kay Shipway can happen to any small business owner in the country," he said.

"This affects literally hundreds of thousands of small businesses who could have been doing the right thing for over 30 years, faithfully, loyally selling this product and doing a good job of it, and then for no good reason the product has been taken away from under them, and their business will have to close in a matter of weeks because they've been starved of stock.

"So it's a question whether our existing competition laws are robust enough to provide relief in a case such as this, but it's also the fact that they haven't been able to get any reason for the cessation of supply.

"It's quite chilling that they can do this without any reason, without any reasonable notice, and after 30 years the Shipways will have to close their doors because they cannot get any more of these shoes."

The ACCC is looking into the matter, Senator Xenophon said, however by the time their inquiry takes place, which is a time-consuming process, the business will have had to close.

"[This] does indicate that under our current laws, there is no black and white answer," he said.

"I guess this trip is a last-ditch attempt by the Shipways who've used their frequent flyer points; I've travelled here at my expense to see whether there can be change of heart.

"The fact that ASICS won't even meet with them, won't even look them in the eye and tell them why they're cutting off their supply and effectively destroying their business, I don't think is good enough."