29 May Sports Shoe Roundup: Nike, Adidas and Puma
May 24–Bayern-Munich faces Dortmund on Saturday in the Champions League Final. That should be competition enough. But in the world of footwear, it’s also Adidas (Bayern Munich) vs. Puma (Borussia Dortmund). Reuters says Puma is catching up to Adidas and Nike in soccer sales. The Adidas vs. Puma rivalry goes far deeper than a one-time battle on a soccer field, as this CNN Money story shows .
Maria Sharapova, Paris to defend her 2012 French Open title, talks with Agence France-Presse about expanding the Sharapova brand, which already includes her Nike endorsement contract.
A day before Champions League Final, Adidas has introduced a new soccer shoe, the Nitrocharge, reports The Week.
European retailers are not sympathetic to U.S. retailers’ concerns about legal liability should they sign onto an agreement calling for improved safety conditions at garment factories in Bangladesh, reports The New York Times. But legal experts say the threat to U.S. retailers is real because of the difference between European and U.S. legal systems.
LeBron James is leading the basketball sneaker sales pack with his Nike high tops, says Fortune.
Nike is the third most popular brand in China, behind No. 1 General Motors and No. 2 Apple, says USA Today.
— Allan Brettman