-Dhiraj Thapa

Introduction Adidas is the biggest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and one of the biggest in the world. The company that started in 1924 is one of the favorites for many athletes. Adidas has also won the trust of many customers as a strong and reliable brand.

Historic background Adidas began when Adolf Dassler began making shoes in his mothers wash kitchen in Germany after he returned from the great war in 1924. The first name for Adidas was Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler brother shoe factory) Their big break came when Adolf Dassler drove from Bavaria to Berlin where the 1936 summer Olympics were held. He had created special shoes for a African American sprinter named Jesse Owens. This was the first time Adidas reveled its self to the world.

Competitors and market One of Adidas’s major competitors is Nike as Nike from the USA also manufactures sportswear for athletes. Adidas is know to have the second largest market in the world with 26.3%, Nike who are the leaders in market are estimated to have a total of 36.3% of the sportswear in the world. Adidas has also merged with Reebok which made an impressive increase in the USA form 8.9% to 21.1%. Adidas also has other competitors such as Puma, and Kappa

Adidas through time Adolf Dassler created his first training shoes made out of canvas in 1920. By 1937 Adolf had 30 different shoes for 11 different sports. The brand began in 1947 and was named in 1948 after the first two syllables of Adolf Dassler. The German football team wins the world cup and all the players wear Adidas in 1954. In the 1960 Olympics in Rome Adidas had another big break as 75% of the athletes wore Adidas shoes. Adidas dominated again this time in the 1962 world cup in Chile where Adidas shoes were worn every game.

1963- Adidas first soccer ball is produced 1967- Adidas sports apparel is launched. 1970- At the World Cup in Mexico, Adidas soccer ball becomes the official ball; and since then every official match ball has been an Adidas product. Adi’s special boxing boots are worn at “the fight of the century”, between Muhammad Ali & Joe Frazier 1978- Adolf Dassler dies at the age of 78, leaving his son Horst in charge of Adidas.

Evaluation and future Adidas is a going to have success in the future as well the it has daily clothing made as well as sporting goods. Adidas has also promoted its business all over the world so its easier access to people who live far away. There are so many athletes that advertise Adidas that it is moving rapidly in the world market. Adidas is also likely to be very successful because of the history behind it.

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