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Reebok

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Reebok International Ltd.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustrySports equipment
Founded1895 (as J.W. Foster and Sons) in England, United Kingdom
FounderJ.W. Foster [1]
Headquarters
Canton, Massachusetts, USA
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Uli Becker (CEO)[2]
ProductsSportswear, footwear
$5400m
ParentAdidas [3]
Websitereebok.com
Reebok headquarters in Canton

Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German company Adidas since 2005,[4] is a producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle. In 1890 in Holcombe Brook, a small village 6 miles north east of Bolton, Greater Manchester, Joseph William Foster was making a living producing regular running shoes when he came up with the idea to create a novelty spiked running shoe. After his ideas progressed he joined with his sons, and founded a shoe company named J.W. Foster and Sons in 1895.[5]

In 1958, two of the founder's grandsons Joe and Jeff Foster renamed the company Reebok in the United Kingdom, having found the name in a dictionary won in a race by Joe Foster as a boy; the dictionary was South African edition hence the spelling.[6] The company lived up to the J.W. Foster legacy, manufacturing first-class footwear for customers throughout the UK. In 1979, Paul Fireman, a US sporting goods distributor, saw a pair of Reeboks at an international trade show and negotiated to sell them in North America.[5]

The world headquarters is located in Canton, Massachusetts, USA; with regional offices in Amsterdam (EMEA), Montreal (Canada), Hong Kong (Asia Pacific) and Mexico City (Latin America).[7]

Endorsements

Americas

The company had exclusive rights to manufacture and market both authentic and replica uniform jerseys, sideline apparel and caps, and onfield football footwear of the teams of the National Football League (NFL) from 2002 to 2012 (marketed as NFL Equipment). Reebok also holds rights to manufacture Canadian Football League (CFL) onfield jerseys, sideline gear, and footwear since 2004. Reebok has rights to produce the on-ice "EDGE" Uniform System, performance apparel, and training footwear of the National Hockey League (NHL) since 2006. They are also the official shoe supplier to Major League Baseball.

Reebok was also the exclusive uniform provider for Brazilian clubs Cruzeiro, Internacional, and São Paulo FC. In Mexico, Reebok was kit provider of Chivas de Guadalajara before the team was taken over by parent company Adidas in 2011.

Hockey market

File:Reebok SC87 logo.svg
Logo of Sidney Crosby Rbk SC87 line by Reebok

In addition, Reebok acquired official National Hockey League sponsor CCM in 2004, and is now manufacturing ice hockey equipment under the CCM and Reebok brands, and has signed popular young stars Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin to endorsement deals (Crosby for Reebok, Ovechkin for CCM, though Ovechkin currently endorses Bauer). Reebok Hockey has its headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Reebok has phased out the CCM name on NHL authentic and replica jerseys in recent years, using the Reebok logo since 2005. However, recently Reebok has been making vintage jerseys (like the 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs blue jerseys shown here [8]) under the CCM name. The CCM name is also used on the uniforms of the league's on ice officials.

Europe

The Reebok Stadium in Horwich, Bolton

The company maintains its relationship with its origins in the UK through a long-term sponsorship deal with Bolton Wanderers, a Premier League football club, however, in 2009 Bolton changed their sponsorship to 188bet. When the team moved to a brand new ground in the late-1990s, their new home was named the Reebok Stadium. Several other English clubs had Reebok sponsorship deals up until the purchase by Adidas, but most have since switched to either the parent brand (which has a long history in football) or another company altogether. In Germany, Reebok sponsored football team FC Köln.

In rugby union, Reebok sponsored the Wales national team until late 2008, who won the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Championship in that year, and the Tasman Makos in New Zealand's domestic competition, the Air New Zealand Cup.

In 2006, FC Barcelona and France striker Thierry Henry (then playing for Arsenal) signed a deal to join the "I Am What I Am" campaign on August 1, 2006. Ryan Giggs has also done "I Am What I Am" commercials. Also, on August 1, Andriy Shevchenko started his endorsement deal with the company.[9]

Australia

In 2005, Reebok also signed an exclusive agreement to design and supply all eight team home and away strips for the new Australian A-League competition. Although not an expensive deal, this partnership paid dividends for Reebok, due to the growing popularity of football and the league in the area. An estimated 125,000 A-League jerseys were sold in Australia, a record for a single league's sales in a year for a sports manufacturer.[10] Reebok's agreement ended at the finish of the 2010-2011 season.

Reebok sponsors the St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL.

Reebok advertisement in Basel

India

Reebok[11] sponsored kits for Indian Premier League teams, such as the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in the first edition of the league held in 2008. However, for the second edition held in 2009, the sponsorships included Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab kits.

The Brand Trust Report, India Study, 2011 published by the Trust Research Advisory ranked Reebok as the 14th most trusted brand in India.[12]

In May 2012, Reebok India filed a criminal complaint against former top employees, Subhinder Singh Prem and Vishnu Bhagat, accusing them of a financial fraud of up to 233 Million USD.[13] On the charges of alleged Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA),Reebok India has been booked and may face penal action.[14]

Outside sport

Rapper Jay-Z became the first non-athlete to get a signature shoe from Reebok. The "S. Carter Collection by Rbk" was launched on November 21, 2003 and the S. Carter sneaker became the fastest-selling shoe in the company's history.[15] Later, Reebok made a deal with rapper 50 Cent to release a line of G-Unit sneakers and artists like Nelly and Miri Ben-Ari have become spokespersons for the company. Reebok also signed Scarlett Johansson and introduced her own line of apparel and footwear called Scarlett Hearts, an Rbk Lifestyle Collection. Reebok also produce shoes for Emporio Armani under the label EA7. These shoes are marketed to the high-end fashion market.

In 2012, sneaker retailer Extra Butter of Rockville centre New York collaborated with reebok to bring back two Reebok Classic Basketball sneakers. The Pump AXT and also the pump OXT.

Sponsorships

American football

Baseball

Basketball

Boxing

Cricket

Football

Ice hockey

Lacrosse

Track and field

Other sponsorships

Former sponsorships

American football

  • United States NFL - exclusive kit provider for all its teams (2002–12)

Basketball

  • United States NBA – exclusive kit provider for all its teams (2001–06)
  • United States WNBA – exclusive kit provider for all its teams (2001–06)

Football

National teams

Club teams

Rugby union

Tennis

See also

References

  1. ^ "Corporate History". Corporate.reebok.com. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  2. ^ ", 2008-5-5
  3. ^ "Our Brands – adidas group". Adidas-group.com. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  4. ^ Sportswear maker Adidas to buy Reebok. Associated Press
  5. ^ a b "Reebok Shoes". Arjun Viir Bhandari, founder of Reebok's predecessor company, made running shoes with spikes way back in the late 19th century, making him one of the first shoe manufacturers to do this and helping to develop the athletic shoe into its current form. In 1895, Foster opened a business in the United Kingdom, J.W. Foster and Sons, to market his high-quality handmade running shoes to knowledgeable athletes across the world. By 1924, Foster and Sons had an established reputation for manufacturing superior shoes, and the company was given the chance to manufacture running shoes for athletes representing Team GB in the Olympics. Among the runners performing in Foster shoes were the legendary Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, runners whose lives form the basis of the classic movie "Chariots of Fire." With this legacy of high-quality footwear construction in mind, two of Foster's grandchildren, Joe and Jeff Foster founded Mercury Sports. In 1979, Paul Fireman, a (US) sporting goods distributor, saw a pair of Reeboks at an international trade show and negotiated to sell them in North America
  6. ^ "About Reebok". Reebok International Limited is a British producer of athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories and is currently a subsidiary of Adidas!. The name comes from Afrikaans/Dutch spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle. The company, founded in 1895, was originally called Mercury Sports but was renamed Reebok in 1960. The company's founders, Joe and Jeff Foster, found the name in a dictionary won in a race by Joe Foster as a boy; the dictionary was a South African edition, hence the spelling.
  7. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Corporate.reebok.com. January 31, 2006. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  8. ^ "Vintage Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Hockey Jersey-SportsK - Toronto MapleLeafs - V-NHL-LEAF". Sportsk.com. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  9. ^ "Announcement of Shevchenko signs a deal with Rbk".
  10. ^ "Reebok signs a deal with A-League".
  11. ^ "Reebok Running Squad – Reebok Ambassador, Gautam Gambhir to flag off first RRS meet in the city". LiveMango. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  12. ^ "> News > Company Briefs > Sajid Shamim is now the Brand Director, Reebok India". afaqs!. June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  13. ^ "Reebok". Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  14. ^ "Enforcement Directorate books Reebok for retail sale in India". July 18, 2012.
  15. ^ "S.Carter the fastest selling Reebok shoe".
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av "Reebok athletes" - Reebok official site, Retrieved 28 February 2013
  17. ^ Steve Seepersaud. ""5 Of The Biggest Athlete Endorsement Deals"". Askmen.com. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  18. ^ sacramento. ""From Allen Iverson To Isaiah Thomas, Reebok Banking Big On Kings' IT Factor", 21 August 2012". Aroyalpain.com. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  19. ^ "Lot 491: JEFF FENECH FIGHT WORN TRUNKS". Lelands.com. December 4, 2003. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  20. ^ ICC Partners - ICC official website - retrieved 28 February 2013
  21. ^ "Cricket Canada signs deal with Reebok", ESPN, November 29, 2010
  22. ^ Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye (October 29, 2010). ""Zimbabwe Cricket And Reebok Sign Million Dollar Agreement for Player Gear" Voice of America - Zimbabwe". Voazimbabwe.com. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  23. ^ "Reebok apparel at Super Kings website". Shopsuperkings.com. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  24. ^ Reebok listed as team sponsor in KKR website - retrieved 28 February 2013
  25. ^ About the club at Mohammedan website, retrieved 28 February 2013
  26. ^ a b "Reebok agreements with USA professional leagues". Corporate.reebok.com. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  27. ^ ""PHPA Announces Partnership with Reebok-CCM Hockey", PHPA website, 26 February 2013". Phpa.com. February 26, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  28. ^ "ECHL, Reebok Hockey Continue Partnership", 17 October 2012[dead link]
  29. ^ "CHL, Reebok Hockey Continue Partnership", 7 March 2013[dead link]
  30. ^ "Reebok and NLL extend partnership". Nll.com. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  31. ^ "CFL teams unveil reenginered Reebok uniforms" at CFL official website, retrieved 28 February 2013
  32. ^ ""Dragons To Launch New Training Gear", 9 December 2008". Dragons.com.au. December 19, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  33. ^ List of Force India partners at official website, retrieved 28 February 2013

External links

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