Adidas 2000 Annual Report Download - page 20

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Training for Sport Moves Forward
Training is one of our largest categories with nearly 70% of
our 2000 apparel sales and over 10% of our footwear sales.
Our success in this category is dependent on our ability to
offer appealing products that connect with our consumers.
In 2001 and beyond, we will be offering products with new,
innovative materials and improved design and color direction
to increase our strong position in this category. One impor-
tant example is our new premium-priced Three Stripe
Training line, which will be introduced in Fall/Winter 2001.
Tennis Serves up Market Dominance
In tennis, adidas is the undisputed market leader in terms
of market share, top products and athletes. This is a key
category for adidas and an area in which we are committed
to extending our market leadership through ongoing
technological innovation. A current example of this is our
recently launched Precision Polo tennis shirt, which com-
presses muscles to increase accuracy and reduce fatigue.
In addition to strong products in both footwear and apparel,
we have the best portfolio of promotional partners and
symbols. These include top-ranked tennis players Martina
Hingis and Marat Safin, as well as the highest-profile female
athlete, Anna Kournikova.
Design and Technology as Key Priorities
With the integration of footwear and apparel and with one
Creative Director overseeing the design of all our products, we
will be able to ensure a unique design look and feel that is
distinctly adidas.
In addition to design, technology is critical to our understanding
of innovation. We have created a new Technical Innovation
Group, which will be launching at least one major innovation
per year. These innovations will either be completely new
technologies or major advancements of current products or
functional concepts.
Customer Driven
We are currently in the process of extending our already strong
relationships with retailers. We will focus on delivering our brand
message through customized programs, including specific
product packages, point-of-sale activities, merchandising
service and shop-in-shop systems. In addition, we will target
our consumers directly through increased own-retail sales in
concept shops and factory outlets.
Outlook
In the FOREVER SPORT division, our commitment to sport and
athletes is total. We are concentrated on performance and creat
-
ing
products that help athletes achieve their peak performance.
We are targeting solid single-digit annual sales growth in this
division. In the medium term, we anticipate that these products
will make up roughly two-thirds of the total adidas product
offering and will remain the foundation for the adidas brand
image.
Soccer Never Stops
Our dedication and devotion to soccer never stops. adidas
is known throughout the world as the premiere soccer
brand. Going forward, we will strengthen and expand our
global leadership in soccer by pushing through a number of
key initiatives. We will be rolling out a continuous stream of
customer-focused products tailored to the needs of our
consumers. Additionally, we will continue our support and
promotion of high-profile teams and players globally. We will
partner with top federations and major soccer events, includ
-
ing the men’s World Cup 2002 (Japan and Korea) and 2006
(Germany) as well as the women’s World Cup in 2003 (China).
Credibility is key in this category and we will build on the
successes. In 2000, the adidas sponsored French national
team won the European soccer championships. One of our
leading promotional partners Zinedine Zidane was voted
“World Football Player” of the year twice in the last three
years.
Through his ongoing support and that of other top
players including David Beckham and Raúl, the Predator®
Precision shoe has become the most popular and most
critically acclaimed soccer shoe in the world. This product
will also serve as the base for our first “customization
experience”, in which we will introduce tailor-made shoes
based on playing conditions and athletes’ needs.
16
adidas FOREVER SPORT