Adidas Looks To Reposition Reebok As Performance Brand

Adidas Plans To Reposition Reebok As Performance Brand

adidas-Salomon Chair & CEO Herbert Hainer said that the company plans to “reposition Reebok as a performance brand,” according to Lauren Foster of the FINANCIAL TIMES, who notes Reebok has developed a “broad appeal among the more fashion-conscious urban consumers” by emphasizing “casual footwear.” Hainer, speaking via satellite to a strategic footwear forum hosted by the World Shoe Association, said, “There is no doubt that we will position Reebok back more to a performance brand than it has been over the last two to three years. Reebok was one of the first to bring a lot of technology into the market.” He noted that adidas and Reebok would “maintain separate brand identities.” Hainer: “We will keep the two brands separate, because we believe both have their own identity, heritage and consumer base.” adidas America President Rob Langstaff said the company viewed Reebok as a “sibling rivalry.” He added, “We want to compete at the marketplace ... and both of us will become better as a result” (FINANCIAL TIMES, 2/13). Langstaff, on the relationship between adidas and Reebok: “It is like two children in the home, where one is very good at playing soccer and the other is very good at playing basketball and football. They share the same infrastructure and cheer each other, but compete at the same time” (REUTERS, 2/13).