Reebok eyes aggressive brand play in sports segment

After taking up Managing Director’s position of Adidas Group including Reebok in India, Erick

Haskell has been initiating various activities to tap the upwardly mobile Indian consumers to change its mass brand image. The brand is now positioning itself as a fitness label with its new Fit Hub concept stores to woo health and fitness conscious Indians. Also on the agenda is to woo fans of sports other than cricket.

Adidas sees a similarity between India’s sports retail segment and that of China in the mid-2000s. The Adidas Group operates over 7,000 stores in China compared to around 1,000 stores in India. The sudden change in consumer attitude towards fitness that the company saw in China resembles the developments happening in India now. With a rising number of people taking to running to stay fit, the company’s sales of running shoes have seen almost 30 percent continued growth in the last couple of years.

Now, Adidas Group aims to grow about 50 stores per brand per year, which means about 100 stores between Adidas and Reebok. In its bid to bounce back with Reebok, it opened over 360 stores last year including 100 Fit Hub stores that sell premium products and provide fitness consultation to customers. The company plans to double store count to 600 in another three years.