Early history of Puma

A global company with origins in Germany, Puma AG Rudolf Dassler Sport is a recognized leader in the design, development and marketing of athletic foot wear, apparel, equipment, and sports related accessories.

Puma initially began through the efforts of the two brothers, Adolf and Rudolf, in 1924 with the formation of the ‘Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik’. Its main products were slippers and outdoor shoes.

Within a few years the Dassler brothers decided to focus entirely on manufacturing sports footwear with emphasis on track shoes and football boots.

In the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin the Dassler shoes were worn by many athletes, including American gold medalist Jesse Owens. World War II halted production and the company produced boots for the German Army.

After the war the brothers had a furious feud and by 1948 the firm was split into Adidas, which became Adolf’s business (ADI DASsler), while Rudolf set up the Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler.

Adolf remaining on one side of the Aurach River, the watery divided of Herzogenaurach, Rudolf setting up factory on the other banks.

Puma eventually became more influential through sports sponsorships with International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) and Coca-Cola.

The products enjoyed great success thanks to their revolutionary functionality and workmanship.

By 1991 Puma international was founded. This served as the holding company for Puma’s operations in Australia, Austria, the Far East, France, Germany and Spain. Each area was independent of the other.

In 2002, Puma opened concept retail stores in Frankfurt, London, Rome, Milan, Melbourne, Tokyo, Boston and Settle.
Early history of Puma

Business history of Reebok

Reebok originally began in 1895 when Joseph William Foster made a business of creating handmade running shoes in Bolton, England.

This dedicated company made thin leather shoes constructed of rigid leather to be worn By Lord Burghley in the 1924 Olympics.

A young and dedicated runner, he founded the company known as J.W Foster Company & Sons in 1939, produced custom-made cross-country spikes for a majority of England’s top runners.

Before long, Foster was building shoes for England’s elite runners, including Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell of Academy Award-winning Chariots of Fire fame.

In 1958, the grandson of Foster, Jeffrey and Joseph, left their grandfather’s business and conceived Reebok. The company’s name originated from a Dutch word that refers to a type of antelope or gazelle.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, reebok remained a medium sized sports shoes company acting on a national level with an annual sales volume of USD 1.5 million.

In 1979, American Paul Fireman negotiated the license for North American distribution; three years later Reebok came out with Freestyle, a women’s athletic shoe, to satisfy the fitness craze. It was developed to be worn in or out of the gym.

The Reebok USA soon evolved into a global player with Paul Fireman as CEO.

In 1985, Reebok USA acquired the British company Reebok and went public with its new name International.

Somewhere along the way Reebok had lost its voice. By the end of the 1990s, the traditionally strong Reebok had fallen to third place behind both Nike and Adidas.

Over the years, the J.W. Foster Company formed close relationships with local English running clubs and an athlete, subsequently forming the foundation for what is now Reebok International.

In 2005, Reebok became a subsidiary to German group Adidas, making it the number two brand, with Nike as number one.
Business history of Reebok