The Growth of the Adidas Powerhouse from Humble Beginnings

Adidas Group:

Global Management of Overseas Locations

Adidas Group is a global manufacturer and retailer of sporting apparel and accessories. Worth $21.8 billion the company consists of 40,168 employees. (Adidas, 2013) Adidas Group produces and distributes more than 650 million product units in over 160 countries every year. (Group, 2006). Because if the enormity of the international operations of the Adidas Group, its global management of overseas locations is incredibly important.

Company Background

Adidas Group is a big company, but it had humble beginnings. Although it has such global proportions now, it was actually begun by one man in his mother’s washroom.

History

Adidas Group had its beginnings in Bavaria, Germany. In 1924, a man by the name of Adi Dassler started the “Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik” out of his mother’s wash kitchen. His goal was to provide athletes with the best possible equipment. An athlete himself, Dassler understood their needs. On August 18, 1949, Adi Dassler registered his growing company as the “Adi Dassler adidas Sportschuhfabrik” and hired forty seven employees in Herzogenaurach, Germany. That same day, he registered a shoe that included the now famous Adidas 3-Stripes symbol.

Over the next twenty years, the Adidas brand grew as a staple in the athletic community. Adidas made a name for itself by associating itself with notable athletic figures and events. One example is the Franz Beckenbauer tracksuit model in 1967. In addition to associating itself with famous athletes, Adidas aligned itself with highly visible sporting events. In 1970, Adidas provided the official ball, TELSTAR, for the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Adidas made another showing for the 1972 Olympic Games in Germany. Adi Dassler’s success ...

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...ew marketing slogan could not sum it up better: “We knew then, we know now”. (Group, 2006) Together with his business partner Christian Tourres, Robert Louis-Dreyfus drove the internationalization and marketing orientation which characterize Adidas Group to this day. As a passionate sportsman, he secured a unique presence for the Adidas brand at the world’s major sports events such as the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. (Media, 2006)

Conclusion

Adidas Group had humble beginnings from a wash kitchen in Germany but has grown to be an international powerhouse in the sports apparel industry. Through its brands such as Adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade, and Rockport, Adidas Group has been able to grow year after year. As an international company, it is the effective global management of overseas locations that enables Adidas Group to continue to be a successful company.