Adidas Group is an international company founded in 1924 by Adolf “Adi” Dassler. It is the world’s largest producer of sportswear and has 2,000 subsidiaries with approximately $ 16 billion in revenue since 2012. The company employs over 68,000 people and operates in over 160 countries around the world.
The history of the Adidas brand
Adi Dassler (born 1884) founded the company in 1924 with his older brother Rudolf. The name is Adi’s nickname and short for the Sports Company Adolf Dassler, which he founded when he was 12 when he was in school. Before World War II, he produced shoes for athletes from Eastern and Western Europe, inventing various patterns to meet customer requirements – including spikes or cleats. As times changed after 1945 after World War II, new footwear was designed around customer needs: soccer shoes were built around 1950-51, and running shoes were built until 1954.
In 1968, three German companies merged their production plants into a single group under the management of Adidas AG (the family sold the company). The company’s first long-term success came with the production of a waterproof, synthetic running shoe in 1972.
The current offer of the Adidas brand
Adidas products include soccer, running and soccer shoes.
The company also produces clothing with an emphasis on sportswear for men and women, as well as accessories such as bags and shoes in various colors that can be combined with each other to match any outfit: from casual to sports wear. The brand is present in 170 countries around the world and employs over 18,000 people. Offers six product lines – Football, Running, Training, Originals / Edition Limitée collections; Golf; Football; Freizeit + Fashion – which includes everything from clothing such as jackets and tracksuits to trainers and hats. All of these things carry the iconic three-striped logo that was designed by Adi.
The biggest competition of the Adidas brand is Nike and Puma.
What does the future of the Adidas brand look like? The Adidas brand will grow as it has increased its turnover over the past five years and continues to diversify through new brands.