adidas History
Earlier company descriptions, brand line-ups, store counts and photographs from the history of adidas, kept for historical reference.
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The Company Description of Its Time
For over 80 years the adidas Group has been part of the world of sports on every level, delivering state-of-the-art sports footwear, apparel and accessories - so the historical profile opens, and its summary still frames the filing. Today, the adidas Group is a global leader in the sporting goods industry and offers a broad portfolio of products, with products available in virtually every country of the world. Their strategy is simple, as recorded: continuously strengthen their brands and products to improve their competitive position and financial performance.
A Short History, In Detail
The name itself is the first history lesson: in 1949 adidas is registered as a company, named after its founder - 'Adi' from Adolf and 'Das' from Dassler. In 1954 comes the 'Miracle of Bern', Germany battling Hungary wearing adidas soccer boots which for the first time feature removable studs. The 1960s bring equipment for so-called fringe sports, with high jumper Dick Fosbury launching himself up and over in adidas footwear, and the 1970s bring the crowning moment of Franz Beckenbauer, the 'Kaiser', raising the World Cup after Germany beat Holland 2-1 in the 1974 final.
After Adi Dassler's death, his wife Käthe, his son Horst, and his daughters carry on the business through the 1980s. In the 1990s, under CEO Robert Louis-Dreyfus, adidas moves from a manufacturing and sales based company to a marketing company; in 1995 it becomes a public company with flotation on the Frankfurt and Paris Stock Exchanges; and in 1996 the 'three-stripes company' equips 6,000 Olympic athletes from 33 countries, whose athletes win 220 medals including 70 gold, while apparel sales increase 50%. In December 1997 adidas AG acquires the Salomon Group, and the timeline continues into the 2000s with the Growth and Efficiency Program and EURO 2000.
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