Today, the adidas product range extends from shoes, apparel and accessories for basketball, soccer, fitness and training to adventure, trail and golf.
The adidas name dates back to 1948, deriving from the first two syllables of Adi Dassler’s first and last name. One year later, Adi Dassler registered the Three Stripes as a trademark. The 3 stripes were created to keep the foot stable, but ended up being the logo. Throughout the years Adidas was seen in the Olympics, and it was the leading brand making their shoes highly sought after by Olympic athletes. After a period spanning almost 70 years, the Dassler Family withdrew from the company in 1989, and the enterprise was transformed into a corporation (“Aktiengesellschaft”).
French-born Robert Louis-Dreyfus was Chairman of the Executive Board from April 1993 to March 2001. It was he who initiated adidas’ flotation on the stock market in November 1995. Since 2001, Herbert Hainer has been leading the Group.
adidas Group – In 1997, adidas acquired the Salomon group, and the company’s name changed to adidas-Salomon AG. The Salomon group also included the TaylorMade golf brand.
In October 2005, the Salomon business segment, including the related subsidiaries and brands Salomon, Mavic, Bonfire, Arc’Teryx and Cliché, was sold to the Finnish Amer Sports Corporation. The company will change its legal name to “adidas AG” following shareholder approval at the Annual General Meeting in May 2006.