World Cup 2010: Who will be the World Cup Sportswear Champ?
Competition at the 2010 World Cup will not only be fierce on the football pitch but also at the sportswear shops, as historic brand leader Adidas faces off against rival Nike and a third challenger known as Puma. The football championships kick off on June 11 in South Africa as Adidas hopes to retain its claim to the title of the number one football brand against a stiff challenge from the world's biggest sportswear manufacturer Nike.
Puma meanwhile is touting its African colours after backing four of the six teams from the continent, which is hosting the World Cup championship for the first time. Adidas, however, starts with a lead having the largest number of teams under its colours: 12 in all, including heavyweights Germany,
Argentina, Spain and France as well as World Cup hosts South Africa. Adidas is the number one football brand worldwide. Their goal of course is to maintain the leaders table and to exceed sale records in football during the World Cup. The German group, with a goal of surpassing 1.3 billion Euros (1.6 billion dollars) in sales this year, is not just relying on demand for the jerseys of its dozen teams. It has also banked on the appeal of its boots, which are promoted by some 100 football players under individual contracts with Adidas, including superstar Lionel Messi of Argentina. Adidas is an official partner of world football body FIFA and will again have its name on the World Cup ball, this time with the 'Jabulani'.
Aiming to outplay Adidas is U.S. sportswear giant Nike which also claims pre-eminence in the game of football, or soccer as the North Americans call the sport. Nike is the leader in the football market since with Nike and affiliate Umbro, their estimated revenue for 2010 is some 1.9 billion dollars, said the group's spokeswoman in France, Sophie Nicolet. Nike has the powerhouse Brazilian team on its roster which is a five-time World Cup champion including star players like Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and England's Wayne Rooney. "Our priority is to work with the teams and the players," Nike's president Charlie Denson said in February in preparing for the World Cup. Nike's dream final would be Brazil -- the biggest selling jersey in 2006 -- versus England, sponsored by its affiliate Umbro.
German brand Puma insists it will not be intimidated by its bigger rivals. For Puma, controlled by PPR of France, success is not based on size in relation to the others. Puma is counting on the African pride for the four teams from the continent that it is sponsoring. Their sponsorships also include the popular Italians who are the defending World champions in football. Zeitz explained how they are using African football and the African lifestyle to promote the Puma brand. The company hoped for a double-digit growth in sales from the 2010 football season. And while Africa may not yet be a flourishing market for sportswear, customers can be found among the African Diaspora around the world. In France, for example, Puma ran out of stock earlier this year after selling some 50,000 jerseys of Algeria's football team.
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