Under Armor hunts for Adidas lands

Kevin Plank passe la main. Le fondateur de la marque de sport Under Armour, challenger de Nike et Adidas, cède son poste de directeur opérationnel à Patrik Frisk, lundi 10 juillet. M. Plank, 44 ans, demeurera président du conseil d’administration et directeur général. La prise de fonctions de M. Frisk, ancien patron de la chaîne de chaussures Aldo, intervient alors qu’Under Armour subit un trou d’air aux Etats-Unis.

The terrible child of sport presented operational losses of $ 2.3 million (2 million euros) in the first quarter of 2017 and disappointing sales on the sports shoes market.Consequently, in the eyes of American analysts, Under Armor is no longer the good student in the sector who, in 2016, had recorded growth of 23 % and reached $ 4.8 billion in turnover worldwide, against1.8 billion in 2012.

Group's ambitions abroad, where he achieves 16 % of his turnover, however remain intact.In 2016, sales of the Baltimore firm jumped 63 % outside the United States.

In France Under Armor will have to deal with Decathlon

From its European headquarters in Amsterdam, the brand began its redeployment on the old continent at the end of 2016.A new organization has been adopted to "reach $ 1 billion in turnover by 2020" on this side of the Atlantic, explains Raphaël Lefort, director of Under Armor for Southern Europe.In Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine), this former Decathlon and Adidas was responsible for group activities in France, Spain, Portugal and Greece.

Since January 2016, he has recruited sellers to impose Under Armor in French sports stores, Intersport and Go Sport type.In six months, the brand has managed to enter 200 additional points of sale.It is now present in 800 stores in France.

In France, Under Armor will have to deal with the market leader, Decathlon, whose strategy focuses essentially on the sale of its brands specific to the costs of international brands.The American firm can also suffer from its general image, in contrast to an adidas very famous for its football crampons, a reebok known for its fitness outfits or the powerful Nike, a chameleon brand capable of scratching running shoes likeRugby jerseys.

Flexible and breathable materials

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