Nike has bought Converse for $305 million in an attempt to enter the `retro' footwear market. Twats. Robert Toomey, an analyst for RBC Dain Rauscher in Seattle, said Nike was probably looking to cash in on the popularity of ''retro'' shoes and Converse's close brand association with basketball, particularly for Americans who grew up in the 1950s and '60s." Protein tends to disagree - could it be every scruffy music scene for the last 30 years? During the 1980s, Chuck Taylor shoes, which the company still sells, enjoyed a renaissance. But this time the customers were grunge rockers and baby boomers, not basketball players. Its ''Grandma-ma'' ads with basketball player Larry Johnson were a hit, but sales continued to sputter. The deal, which remains subject to regulatory approval, would give Converse the deep-pocketed backing and marketing depth to push its brand worldwide, while offering Nike a fashion niche it may have been missing. Hmmmm, and there we were last year when you couldn't go out without seeing 10 pairs of Converse, but now all you see are 1980s Nike's.