Is German sports apparel manufacturer and
parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the
Reebok sportswear company,
TaylorMade-Adidas golf company (including
Ashworth), and
Rockport.
Besides sports footwear, the company also produces other products such
as bags, shirts, watches, eyewear, and other sports- and
clothing-related goods.The company is the largest
sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second-biggest sportswear manufacturer in the world, with American rival
Nike being the biggest.
[3]
Adidas was founded in 1948 by
Adolf "Adi" Dassler, following the split of Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik between him and his older brother
Rudolf. Rudolf later established
Puma, which was the early rival of Adidas. Registered in 1949, Adidas is currently based in
Herzogenaurach, Germany, along with Puma.
The company's clothing and shoe designs typically feature
three parallel bars,
and the same motif is incorporated into Adidas's current official logo.
The "Three Stripes" were bought from the Finnish sport company
Karhu Sports in 1951.
[4][5] The company
revenue for 2009 was listed at
€10.38 billion and the 2008 figure at €10.80 billion.