Reebok 2012 Annual Report Download - page 61

adidas Group
/
2012 Annual Report
To Our Shareholders
39
2012
/
01.2
/
Interview with the CEO
What other progress can we anticipate in 2013 in terms
of your financials?
/
2013 will also see a step change in the pace of gross margin
and operating margin expansion. The adidas Group gross margin
is forecasted to increase to a level between 48.0% and 48.5%.
Over-proportionate growth in high-margin emerging markets and
Retail will positively impact this development. Our operating margin will
improve considerably in line with our previously announced guidance
of approaching 9.0%. This, in turn, will lead to another year of double-
digit earnings growth, with earnings per share excluding goodwill
impairment losses increasing at a rate of 12% to 16% to a level between
€ 4.25 and € 4.40.
Finally, Herbert, why have you chosen the title
“Pushing Boundaries” for the 2012 Annual Report?
/
It is certainly not by chance that we created this motto for our
2012 Annual Report. Alone from our extraordinary product innovations,
great designs and cutting-edge construction methods, our ability to
push boundaries has helped athletes to go faster, hit further and achieve
their impossible at the pinnacle of sport for decades. However, pushing
boundaries at our Group definitely goes far beyond this definition. It
lives in every aspect of our business. Every day, we collectively strive to
bring a culture of pushing boundaries to life – constantly motivating and
challenging each other to improve. The founder of adidas – Adi Dassler –
is often quoted as saying “strive for perfection; there’s always something
you can improve”. This is exactly the spirit I am referring to: creating
the unexpected, open and committed to doing things better. “Pushing
Boundaries” is, has been, and always will be at the very heart of
everything we do across our Group. This is the edge that will ensure our
Group’s success along Route 2015, and well into the future.
Herbert, thank you for this interview.