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Adidas/Salomon Merger
Adidas Makes Move to Winter Sports Gear
Monday September 22, 1997

In the age of the big money mergers, sports apparel and equipment manufacturer Adidas bought sports giant Salomon in a deal sealed for $1.3 billion Sept. 15. The deal put Adidas one step, though a giant one, closer to foe, Nike Inc., and one step ahead of Reebok.

Salomon, aside from its winter sport equipment, also owns golf club brand Taylor Made and cycle brand Mavic. The merger will make Adidas/Salomon the second largest sports marketer in the world and number one in Europe. Salomon currently is very strong in markets in North America and Japan, and Adidas has the market share in Europe.

"This transaction marks a major step towards the establishment of the best portfolio of sports brands in the world," Adidas President Robert Louis-Dreyfus said. Dreyfus almost single handedly has resurrected Adidas, near death in 1993.

Salomon will continue to function separately under its new umbrella.

Nike Inc. recently joined forces with the Salt Lake City, Utah based Marker International to "research, design and develop winter sports products," according to the Nike camp. Joining the phenomenon that is snowboarding, Nike's VP of Equipment said, "there are endless possibilities in snowboarding...this relationship...will produce innovative, exciting products that will benefit athletes and excite the winter sports industry."

Sarah Love, Mountain Zone Staff

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