Brooks Running running released a summary of 2025 first quarter progress as parent company Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) kicks off its 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting. The company will go into the meeting boasting or an all-time quarterly record in revenue, double-digit growth (or better) across all regions, and the No. 1 spot in the adult performance running footwear market at U.S. national retail and U.S. specialty retail channels, according to third party market research data (Market Data).

Brooks Running saw global revenue increase 15 percent year-over-year (y/y) in the first quarter. The company said it continued eight consecutive years of growth in North America, which was up 13 percent y/y in Q1, including 38 percent y/y growth in Canada.

Brooks also reportedly led the U.S. specialty retail channel, delivering 20 percent y/y growth, according to the Market Data, but the company did not provide growth trends or volumes for U.S. national retailers although it did provide select market research data for the channel. That channel is heavily dominated by current running darlings On and Hoka as mentioned in a number of retail CEO conference calls over the last few quarters as those brands expand distribution in an effort to maintain or expand growth.

In the first quarter, Brooks said it achieved the No. 1 spot in the adult performance running footwear market at U.S. national retail and held seven of the Top 25 styles sold, more than any other brand, according to the Market Data. A push in lifestyle may give Brooks, like Asics last year, a solid re-positioning in the channel.

In other regions, Brooks’ global growth efforts delivered a quarterly revenue record in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), up 11 percent currency-neutral, and 221 percent year-over-year revenue growth in Asia Pacific and Latin America (APLA).

In France and Germany in Q1, Brooks reportedly grew 37 percent and 28 percent, respectively, in adult performance running footwear priced €90+, outpacing overall market growth. In Germany specifically, Brooks said it caught the market leader to now share the No. 1 spot in this segment, according to the Market Data. The company said this marks the first time ever the brand has led in any European country.

“I am so proud of the Brooks team and the strategy we’re executing to invite more people into the brand and to experience the many benefits running and movement deliver,” said Brooks CEO Dan Sheridan. “Our record results are an outcome of real product innovation, brand demand at an all-time high, and execution excellence across our teams.”

Sheridan, who joined Brooks in 1998, named COO in 2019, and promoted to president and COO in 2022, was named company CEO at the end of April 2024. While Brooks was founded in 1914 by Morris Brooks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the company became part of the BRK family via a circuitous route. The company was acquired bu BRK subsidiary Fruit of the Loom in 2006 and then was moved in 2012 by Warren Buffett to function and report as a Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. standalone operating subsidiary.

In addition to the Brooks Running brand, BRK also owns Align Shoe, B.Ø.C., Børn Shoes, Carolina Shoe, Chippewa Boots, Comfortiva, Corcoran Footwear, Dexter Bowling, Double-H Boots, EuroSoft Footwear, Justin Boots, Kork-Ease, Korks, Matterhorn Footwear, Nocona Boots, Nurse Mates, Shoeline.com, Söfft Shoe, Softspots, Super Shoes, and Tony Lama brands under the BH Shoe Holdings, Inc. subsidiary to Berkshire Hathaway.

Brooks said it launched six performance footwear styles in the first quarter, driving 27 percent growth in active (full-price) sales. Leading global footwear sales for the quarter, the new Glycerin 22 super franchise debuted Brooks’ revolutionary DNA Tuned midsole foam, which the company said is a significant advancement in foam technology.

Brooks also launched a lifestyle footwear collection in Q1 celebrating its 111-year heritage as a leader in sport and answering customer desire for performance-inspired silhouettes to wear during more moments of the day. Unveiled at Paris Fashion Week, the collection features iconic designs from the Brooks vault and appeals to those seeking sneakers authentically rooted in performance and running culture. The first collaboration, the Brooks x STAPLE Adrenaline GTS 4 in partnership with New York-based streetwear pioneer Jeff Staple, launched in March as a fresh take on a pivotal Brooks shoe originally launched in 2002. The company said initial stock sold out within 30 minutes in some regions.

In March, Brooks executed a Tokyo Marathon pop-up, the first Brooks-branded footprint in Japan. In China, the brand launched a pop-up in Beijing’s premier mall, and the Brooks Shanghai retail store set a new revenue record with each month this quarter.

Brooks said its paid media investments for Running Redefined, the latest chapter of 20024’s Let’s Run There campaign, drove a +5.6pt lift in Aided Awareness and a +9.8pt lift in Consideration for the brand in the U.S. in the first quarter, according to a Dynata Digital Effectiveness Study for the quarter.

The company also reported that its Future Run community impact program awarded 50 Team Grants supporting over 2,100 high schoolers across the country, its largest-ever group of quarterly recipients. The list included 15 Seattle-based Track and Field teams, ensuring support for young runners in and around the local community where the global brand is headquartered.

The company also reported that its Future Run community impact program awarded 50 Team Grants supporting over 2,100 high schoolers across the country, its largest-ever group of quarterly recipients. The list included 15 Seattle-based Track and Field teams, ensuring support for young runners in and around the local community where the global brand is headquartered.

Image courtesy Brooks Running