Adidas announced solid second-quarter earnings on Thursday (August 9, 2018) when it reported global sales up 10 percent with double-digit sales growth in North America and Asia. The company highlighted demand for soccer jerseys thanks to the World Cup as well as growth in the Boost platform.
Responding to prior criticism that Adidas had let distribution of its Stan Smith and Super Star spin out of control, on the earnings call the company pointed out it had “managed down” distribution of its Stan Smith and Super Star silhouettes with the Super Star now accounting for “only low-single-digit sales.”
While Adidas has pulled back disruption of two of its classics, at the same time Adidas CEO Kasper Rørsted implied it plans to expand Yeezy distribution.
“Last, but certainly not least, I want to talk about our partnership with Kanye West. It’s been three years now since we started the most significant collaboration ever created between a non-athlete and athlete brand,” stated Rørsted who added, “We’re excited to build on this partnership and continue to explore new territories. Kanye has repeatedly stated his aspirations to democratize. We share his aspirations we are working hard to bring this vision to life. Watch for more.”
Rørsted didn’t provide additional details, but democratize likely means the company plans to expand the number of Yeezy shoes it sells.
Rørsted and West image via reddit.com.
