adidas expects to “once again achieve new record sales in football” in 2004, according to recent comments made by Herbert Hainer, CEO of adidas-Salomon AG. “We have great momentum and this momentum will continue well into 2006 and beyond when the FIFA World Cup is played in Germany,” he said at a press conference in Yokohama, Japan while attending an international match between Japan and Germany.
The company is forecasting that 2004 global adidas Football (Soccer) sales will grow by double-digits to more than 900 million from about 800 million in 2003, resulting in a 35% market share for the brand for the year. adidas expects to sell More than 1.3 million replica jerseys, over 1.6 million EURO 2004 licensed products, and more than 250,000 units of a newly introduced women’s football apparel range. In footwear, adidas said it forecasting sales of one million pair each of the adidas PredatorPulse football boot and one million pair of the F50 and F50+ product.
The company also sees selling six million Roteiro balls.
The announcement comes on the heels of Nikes recent statements that NPD data shows that the Swoosh has gained the top spot in overall Football (Soccer) market share and has come within one point of adidas in performance football.
According to other published reports, Hainer also said that adidas-Salomon AG should double its sales in the Asian market over the next five years, achieving 2 billion in sales by 2009. Hainer said in the Dow Jones report that the current double-digit sales growth in the region would continue into 2005. Nine-month YTD sales in Asia were up 16% on a currency-neutral basis.
In other adidas news, adidas-Salomon Intersort International Corporation have signed deal making the adidas brand the primary partner for the 4,700 Intersport retailers in Europe, Russia, and Canada in 2006. Terms of the deal were not revealed.
As part of the agreement, adidas will be IICs “exclusive international football partner for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany” and the dominant football brand in Intersport stores worldwide. The IIC retailers get exclusive adidas product, usage of adidas symbols, and communication tools to support the product offering.
