The adidas story
1920
Adi Dassler makes his first shoe in his workshop in Herzogenaurach near Nuremberg in Germany. The shoe made of canvas was a training shoe for runners and cost two reichsmarks. Adi Dassler followed three guiding principles in his development work: produce the best shoe for the requirements of the sport, protect the athlete from injury, and make the product durable.
1925
Adi Dassler develops the first special shoes for soccer and track & field. For the first time shoes with studs and spikes are introduced. He also constructs different shoes for the different distances and uses state-of-the-art materials to achieve a saving in weight.
1928
Adi Dassler's shoes are worn at the Olympic Games for the first time. Adi Dassler takes care of "his" athletes in Amsterdam and strives to optimize the respective shoes, working closely with athletes.
1931
Adi Dassler makes his first tennis shoes.
1932
At the Los Angeles Olympic Games Arthur Jonath takes the bronze in the 100 m in Dassler shoes.
1936
The Olympic Games in Berlin are the sporting highlight for Jesse Owens. He sets new bests in almost all of the twelve events in which he competes. The black US-American is the most successful athlete in Berlin, winning four gold medals.
1937
Adi Dassler's range now comprises 30 different shoes for a total of eleven sports.
1946
The first Adi Dassler sports shoes produced after the war are made using canvas and rubber from American fuel tanks.
1947
Birth of the Salomon brand: a French family sets up an atelier in Annecy where they produce skis.
1948
Adi Dassler starts up production again, with 47 workers. He takes the first two syllables of his first and last name as the name for his products. And he gives his shoes an unmistakable identifying symbol: the Three Stripes.
1949
The Three Stripes are registered as an adidas trademark. Adi Dassler focuses his efforts on new soccer shoes. He produces his first shoes with moulded rubber studs.
1950
The first of the "Samba" all-round soccer shoes are launched on the market. The Samba continues to be regarded as the classic all-round training shoe today.
1952
adidas is the most widely worn German sports shoe brand at the Olympic Games in Helsinki. For the first time track shoes with removable spikes are used. Emil Zatopek wins three gold medals in one week, in adidas shoes. He triumphs in the 5,000 m and 10,000 m and in the marathon. An achievement that has not been repeated since. The first adidas sports bags are introduced.
1954
The German team wins the World Cup for the first time. Adi Dassler is at the game in Berne; at half-time he adapts the players' shoes to the ground conditions, using screw-in studs. The soccer shoe worn in the Final in Berne is later called "World Champion".
1957
Development of the first nylon half-soles for sprint shoes.
1960
At the Olympic Games in Rome, 75 percent of all track & field athletes rely on adidas shoes. Wilma Rudolph, who suffered from polio as a child, takes the gold in the 100 m and 200 m and in the 4x100 m relay. To mark the Olympic Games, the "Rom" training shoe is launched. Today, this classic is one of the top trend shoes and is now being produced again in small quantities.
1962
adidas shoes dominate the Soccer World Cup in Chile. They are worn in all 32 games.
1963
The first adidas balls are developed and produced.
1964
adidas presents the lightest track shoe ever made. The "Tokio 64" weighs just 135 grams per shoe. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Willi Holdorf is the first German to take gold in the decathlon.
1967
The first adidas sports apparel is produced - with the ever popular Three Stripes, of course.
1968
adidas athletes also dominate the Olympic Games in Mexico. Dick Fosbury clears 2.24 m with a new high jump technique and takes the gold medal. adidas is the first company in the world to produce injection-moulded multi-stud soles of polyurethane, giving a one-year guarantee on the sole. The first jogging shoe, "Achill", is launched.
1970
In Mexico an adidas ball, the "Telstar", is the official ball at a Soccer World Cup for the first time. Right up until the present day, all goals at major soccer events are scored with adidas balls.
1971
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier face each other in the "Fight of the Century". Both wear special boxing boots developed by Adi Dassler.
1972
The German team wins the European Soccer Championship in adidas shoes. At the Olympic Games in Munich, Ulrike Meyfarth wins her first Olympic gold in the high jump. The "Adilette" is introduced, still one of the classics in the adidas range today.
1974
Following on the European Championship title, the German team wins the World Cup again. The first adidas tennis rackets are launched.
1976
Edwin Moses wins gold in the 400 m and 800 m at the Olympic Games in Montreal. The "TRX" jogging shoe is introduced. adidas also sets the pace in the winter sports sector, with newly developed X-country ski bindings.
1978
All goals at the Soccer World Cup in Argentina are scored with the "Tango", the official matchball.
Adi Dassler dies at the age of 78. His son Horst carries on the adidas heritage.
1979
The "Copa Mundial", the world's best-selling soccer shoe ever, is launched.
1980
The German team wins the European Soccer Championship for the second time, outfitted from head to toe in adidas.
1984
At the Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles, 124 out of 140 nations compete in adidas. 259 medals are won in products with the Three Stripes. Ulrike Meyfarth wins her second Olympic gold medal (after 1972) in the high jump.
1985
Eleven out of twelve teams at the European Basketball Championships put their trust in the Three Stripes. The "Marathon Training" running shoe is awarded a "very good" rating by Stiftung Warentest, the independent German consumer test institute. adidas is awarded the "German Marketing Prize". adidas star Ivan Lendl plays his way to the top of the world tennis rankings.
1986
Again the spotlight is on adidas at the Soccer World Cup in Mexico. The adidas Azteca, the world's first synthetic World Cup matchball, is introduced.
1987
Horst Dassler dies at the age of 51.
1988
adidas launches the revolutionary "TORSION®" sole system, still used today for a wide variety of sports shoes.
1989
adidas becomes a corporation ("Aktiengesellschaft"), but retains its family ownership.
1991
adidas EQUIPMENT is launched. The new label denotes performance-orientated footwear and apparel.
1992
At the Olympic Games in Barcelona Heike Henkel takes the gold in the high jump. The first adidas Streetball tournament takes place in Marx Engels Square in Berlin. Considered merely a trend in 1992, Streetball has since become firmly established as a sport. Thousands of players compete to win in 3-on-3 fair-play games.
1993
Robert Louis-Dreyfus becomes President of adidas AG. New sales and marketing strategies pave the way for the successful turnaround. The Originals wave surfaces. Trendsetters such as Madonna wear classic sports footwear and apparel of the 1970s. The "Gazelle" is produced again in small quantities.
1994
The year of the comeback. adidas reports a clear upward trend in sales and profits. "Predator®" is the name of the revolutionary soccer shoe introduced on the occasion of the Soccer World Cup in the USA. The "adidas Predator Cup", a soccer tournament for young talent, takes place for the first time in co-operation with the adidas Bundesliga clubs in Germany.
The French company Mavic joins the Salomon Group. Mavic is "all about love for cycling, which leads to the designing and manufacturing of great products that offer a real difference when you ride them".
1995
It is now 75 years since Adi Dassler made his first shoes. adidas sets milestones in the events scene. adidas attracts participants and spectators to its events in the sectors of basketball, Streetball, soccer, track & field, outdoor and tennis. Six years after the family-owned company was transformed into a corporation, adidas goes public. The adidas share is one of the most interesting new listings on the stock market in Germany.
In December Bonfire, the American snowboard apparel brand, joins the Salomon Group, bringing some energy and youthful influence to the group.
1996
1996 turns out to be one of the most successful years in adidas history. At the European Soccer Championship and the Atlanta Olympic Games adidas successfully underlines its ambition to become the best sports brand in the world.
Five of the 16 teams at the European Championship wear adidas. adidas also supplies the Official Matchball and equips the referees and linesmen. The innovative adidas soccer shoes with Traxion sole technology are an instant success and represent a new milestone in the development of soccer shoes. The German team wins the European Soccer Championship - fully outfitted in adidas.
adidas has chosen 1996, the centenary of the modern Olympic Games, to celebrate past successes and triumphs still to come - symbolized by the concept "We knew then - we know now". This concept reaps rich rewards with gold medals by Donovan Bailey (Canada) in the 100 meters, Lars Riedel (Germany) in the discus, Nourredine Morceli (Algeria) in the 1500 meters, Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) in the 10,000 meters and Felix Savon (Cuba) in boxing. adidas equips 33 nations in Atlanta; 6,000 participants wear adidas, and adidas supplies products for 21 of the 26 sports. No other brand has been so closely associated with so many athletes in so many sports over so many years as adidas.
1997
A new generation of adidas athletes symbolizes the innovative technologies and contemporary design of adidas products. This concept centres on an extensive communication campaign around the new basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, who already enjoys cult status in the USA as the youngest NBA player of all time.
Anna Kournikova in tennis, and David Beckham and Alessandro del Piero in soccer are just some of the other exceptional talents in their sport who are on the way to become the stars of the future, with adidas.
adidas announces the acquisition of the Salomon Group (with the brands Salomon, TaylorMade, Mavic and Bonfire). This acquisition creates one of the world's leading sporting goods groups with a portfolio of outstanding brands. The name of the new group will be changed to adidas-Salomon AG. The complementary fit of the two companies is excellent, both in terms of products (sports footwear, apparel and equipment for adidas, winter sports equipment, golf clubs and cycling components for the Salomon Group) and in terms of geographic balance. Salomon has an especially strong presence in North America and Japan, while adidas is very well established in Europe. The new group becomes the second largest sporting goods marketer worldwide.
1998
In June the adidas-Salomon share is admitted to the DAX, comprising Germany's 30 largest quoted companies.
The highlight of 1998 is the FIFA World Cup in France. adidas is the first sporting goods company to be named Official Sponsor of a Soccer World Cup and equips hosts France, who go on to become the new World Champions. adidas has worldwide license rights to the world's biggest single sporting event. adidas supplies the official World Cup matchball, equips 12,000 World Cup officials and volunteers, outfits the referees and linesmen and delivers numerous revolutionary soccer technologies. Alongside France, adidas is official supplier to Argentina, Germany, Yugoslavia,
Romania and Spain.
1999
In the spring, adidas-Salomon employees move into reconfigurated and refurbished headquarters. With the creation of the so-called "World of Sports" on a former US Army base, adidas-Salomon AG decides long-term in favour of Herzogenaurach as the company's corporate headquarters, and thus in favour of the birthplace of the adidas brand. In the first phase, the campus-style World of Sports provides space for 600 people working in the Global Marketing Departments.
adidas celebrates its 50th anniversary. And following a successful turnaround, the company is now in top form. For the first time, adidas-Salomon AG exceeds DM 10 billion, with sales of DM 10,471 billion. The number of employees now totals 12,829 worldwide.
adidas is Official Sponsor of the Women's World Cup 1999 in the USA, underlining its dominant position as the number one soccer brand. Alongside Germany, adidas is partner to Sweden, Japan, China and Australia. The Three Stripes are also highly visible at the last sporting highlight of the millennium. adidas, as Official Sponsor, dominates the World Track & Field Championships in Seville, and is once again supplier to numerous federations and athletes. Additionally, adidas is named Official Supplier and Licensee for the European Soccer Championship in 2000.
In November, Herbert Hainer is appointed as Deputy Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of adidas-Salomon AG. He is to become Robert Louis-Dreyfus' successor as CEO in spring 2001.
2000
With its adidas brand, adidas-Salomon dominates the two outstanding sports events of the year: the European Soccer Championship in Holland and Belgium, and the Olympic Summer Games in Sydney. adidas, Official Supplier and Licensee of EURO 2000™, equips European Champions France and the most outstanding player of the tournament, Zinedine Zidane. Alongside Zidane, David Beckham (England), Patrick Kluivert (Holland) and Alessandro del Piero (Italy) wear the revolutionary new adidas soccer shoe, the EQUIPMENT Predator® Precision. More than 25% of the goals in this tournament are scored by players wearing this shoe. The adidas EQUIPMENT Silverstream is the Official Matchball of the tournament.
In Sydney, adidas underlines its competence as an Olympic brand. adidas is represented in 26 of 28 sports. More than 3,000 athletes wear adidas. adidas develops revolutionary products based on the concept of "Energy Maintenance" for six sports: swimming, track & field, cycling, fencing, weightlifting and wrestling. The most lasting impression of all is left by the adidas EQUIPMENT Full Body Swimsuit, in which Ian Thorpe, Australia's 17-year-old national hero, wins three gold medals and sets four world records, becoming the star of Sydney Olympics.
With the "Road to Sydney" program, adidas produces the first sporting goods soap in the industry's history. It is televised worldwide by leading TV channels. Prior to this, adidas is named "Advertiser of the Year" and is presented with the prestigious Clio Award in New York.
In October, adidas-Salomon AG is selected to join the Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index (DJSGI). The DJSGI is the world's first global index tracking the performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. In the Annual Review 2000, Dow Jones analysed the social, environmental and financial performance of adidas-Salomon AG and concluded that adidas-Salomon is an industry leader on sustainability issues. In particular Dow Jones recognised that adidas-Salomon has made significant progress in improving the social and environmental conditions in the factories which supplies its products.
adidas underlines its position as the undisputed market leader in soccer and signs a long-term agreement as Official Sponsor and Licensee of the FIFA World CupTM 2002 and 2006 and the Women's World Cup 2003.
In October, in New York, adidas-Salomon presents an exciting new structure for its core brand, adidas. Instead of the traditional divisional structure of Footwear and Apparel/Accessories, adidas now has three divisions: Forever Sport, Original and EQUIPMENT. (As of 2002 the divisions are called: adidas Sport Performance, adidas Sport Heritage, adidas Sport Style)
November 3 marks the 100th birthday of the late Adi Dassler, the founder of adidas.
adidas-Salomon´s sales are at a new record level in 2000 reaching € 5.8 billion. The Growth and Efficiency Program, initiated earlier in the year, is completed, successfully paving the way for future success for the Group.
2001
Herbert Hainer is officially appointed as CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of adidas-Salomon AG effective March 8, 2001.
adidas, as the first brand in the sporting goods industry, launches the "Customization Experience" project introducing a new business model in the industry giving consumers the opportunity to create their own unique footwear to their exact personal specifications in terms of function, fit and looks.
In September the first adidas Originals store opens in Berlin, followed by Tokyo in December. In addition, the first adidas megastores open in Paris and Amsterdam.
adidas and Germany's most successful football club FC Bayern Munich agree on a unique strategic partnership. While acquiring a 10% stake in FC Bayern Munich AG, adidas renews its contract as official sponsor, supplier and licensee until 2010.
adidas-Salomon achieves record-breaking sales of € 6.1 billion. The management keeps the promise of a 15% increase in earnings per share by putting together a team that is committed to maximizing the financial results for the Group's passion for performance, innovation and heritage.
adidas-Salomon ends the year as the top performer in the DAX-30, Germany's leading stock index, with a gain of 28%, and the share price outperforms the index by 48%.
2002
At the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City adidas and Salomon athletes win a combined 191 medals (62 gold, 67 silver and 62 bronze). adidas outfits more than 50% of all individual athletes, eight National Olympic teams and several sports federations at these Games. Overall highlights include Christoph Langen and André Lange in bobsled and the victorious German womens´ biathlon team, all wearing adidas. The list of victorious Salomon athletes is headed by Janica Kostelic who wins a historical 4 medals (including 3 golds) at any Winter Games in alpine skiing, and Fritz Strobl who wins the marquee men´s downhill event, both wearing Salomon skis.
adidas opens its new North American headquarters in February. The adidas Village, as it is called, is located 5 minutes from downtown Portland in an area undergoing a program of urban renewal and unites all adidas and Salomon employees in Portland, Oregon under one roof.
In March, ClimaCoolTM, adidas' footwear innovation featuring a 360º ventilation system, makes its global debut. Through the introduction of new, breathable materials in all areas of the shoe, ClimaCoolTM allows consumers' feet to "feel the breeze". One month later, adidas introduces its second innovation for the year. a3 (pronounced "a-cubed") is more than a cushioning system. It is an Energy Management system that cushions, guides and drives the foot for the perfect footstrike.
The 2002 FIFA World CupTM in Korea and Japan in June gives adidas the perfect platform to further strengthen and extend its leadership in football. adidas presents the Predator® Mania, an improved version of our earlier Predator® boots and football players wear jerseys with the Dynamic Layering Concept. The FevernovaTM is the Official Match Ball for the 2002 FIFA World Cup .
adidas confirms its football leadership by selling over 6 million footballs, more than 1.5 million replica jerseys and over half a million pairs of Predator® Mania.
In July, adidas-Salomon completes its revolutionary three-divisional structure for its core brand, adidas, and positions its third division as 'adidas Sport Style - the future in sportswear'. The other two existing divisions change their name into: adidas Sport Performance and adidas Sport Heritage. The world-famous Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto is appointed as Creative Director of the new adidas Sport Style division. And in October the first collection of the adidas Sport Style division designed by Yohji Yamamoto is presented in Paris' Stade de Charlety.
As in 2001, the adidas-Salomon share is once again the top performer in the DAX-30, Germany's leading stock index. Group sales rise 7% to reach a record level of € 6.5 billion.
2003
2003 is going to be another important year for adidas-Salomon. Despite tough market conditions globally, we are confident that concentration on the Group's strategic priorities will help us deliver strong top- and bottom-line performance.
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