German sportswear company Adidas continues to explore opportunities in China and remains optimistic about the country's ambition to become a sports powerhouse, said a senior company executive.
"We believe strongly in the Chinese market, and we feel that there is plenty of energy in the economy compared with the stagnation we see in Europe," said Bjoern Gulden, CEO of Adidas, during a recent interview.
"The time when we were designing collections only in Germany or the United States is over. We are now designing all over the world and, believe it or not, the creative direction that is coming out of China and especially out of Shanghai is starting to play a more important role because the consumer wants it," said Gulden.
Adrian Siu, managing director of Adidas in China, said: "Currently, as much as 65 percent of products in the China market are designed by Adidas' Creation Center Shanghai. Among the products designed by the Creation Center Shanghai, 25 percent are already sold overseas and are very popular."
Driven by both sports and sports fashion, Adidas views a country's growing strength in part through improvements in its sporting achievements. At the same time, a country's rising influence in global fashion reflects its growing strength and cultural creativity, Siu said.
"Along with designing in Shanghai, manufacturing in China is making an impact globally and the company expects to keep contributing to the development of China's sports and fashion industries," Siu said.
Attending the recent 38th International Business Leaders' Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai (IBLAC), Adidas submitted recommendations on how Shanghai can become a leading emotional vitality city at this year's meeting, which was focused on promoting innovation in Shanghai's service sector.
In its proposal, Adidas called for a new model of urban development that converts positive emotions into consumption growth, community vitality, cultural confidence and sustainable competitiveness. In the future, the cities that lead the world will be those that can create emotional resonance, and the company believes emotional vitality is becoming a new source of urban competitiveness, it explained.
The proposal noted that Shanghai's per capita spending on sporting goods rose from 922 yuan ($138) in 2008 to nearly 4,500 yuan in 2024. The city's sports economy has evolved from material consumption to experiential participation, and now toward emotional fulfillment.
Regarding China's goals for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, Gulden said Adidas sees itself as a contributor to these goals, which also present significant opportunities for the sports industry and related businesses.
"The plan is great. I think there's a commitment to sports everywhere in China and we will of course support it because it's in our interest and sports is fun and the more people do it, the happier we will become," said Gulden.
China aims to build a sports powerhouse by 2030, with detailed goals including providing 4 square meters of sports space per person, having about 40 percent of the population participating in sports activities regularly, and expanding the nation's sports industry to a scale of more than 7 trillion yuan.
According to Gulden, Adidas will celebrate its 30th anniversary in China next year, and its new China headquarters at the West Bund in Xuhui district will soon officially open.
"Since 1997, Adidas has witnessed and actively contributed to the city's dynamic growth. Going forward, we will continue working closely with Shanghai to help it develop into an emotional vitality city with global influence and support the city in its efforts to become an international center for science and innovation, an international consumption center and a world-famous sports city," said Gulden.
Siu said this also reflects Adidas' confidence in the China market. "This confidence is something we will never change. We are confident in China, in Chinese sports, in the Chinese market and in our team in China," said Siu.
wang_ying@chinadaily.com.cn
