By Linda Pasquini
July 30 (Reuters) – Adidas investors punished the German sportswear maker’s profit miss on Thursday, dragging its shares down a record 17% despite the company lifting its annual sales outlook on demand for its retro apparel and a soccer World Cup boost.
Adidas’ operating profit in the quarter undershot analyst estimates, as it spent 30% more on marketing than in the same period the previous year due to campaigns related to the FIFA tournament that finished in July.
“In absolute terms 2Q was a good quarter but against a rising tide of World Cup expectations this is going to disappoint investors,” analysts at Deutsche Bank wrote in a note to investors, pointing to the profit miss.
Citi analysts said that the sales beat was still “well below” sell-side hopes for faster growth. “Combined with the more pronounced World Cup top-line benefit, this is likely to reignite the debate around growth sustainability post-World Cup,” they said in a note.
Adidas shares, which had been on a strong run since April, are now down around 11% this year.
WORLD CUP, RETRO APPAREL BOOST SALES
As the popularity of its Samba and Gazelle sneakers gradually fades, investors are hoping the visibility from the World Cup will help Adidas maintain its sales momentum as it rolls out new styles and seeks to stay ahead of competitors such as U.S. rival Nike.
“The growth related to the World Cup was (…) accelerated by our strategy of increasing product availability in the interest of our consumers and retail partners versus optimising inventories,” CEO Bjorn Gulden said in a statement.
Adidas sponsored a total of 14 national teams in the June FIFA World Cup, including finalists Argentina and Spain.
Foot traffic at Adidas retail stores in the U.S. spiked 44.7% on the year in the week of June 15, the first full week of World Cup group-stage action, according to a report by Placer.ai, a company that gathers foot traffic data.
ADIDAS RAISES 2026 REVENUE OUTLOOK
The company now expects revenue to grow by a currency-adjusted 9% to 10%, compared with a previous guidance for high single-digit growth.
It still expects operating profit to increase to around €2.3 billion this year, after operating profit in the April to June period rose by 5% to €574 million but came in below an analyst consensus of €623 million.
Quarterly revenue grew by a currency-adjusted 14% to €6.74 billion ($7.72 billion), above the €6.63 billion projected by analysts in a company-compiled poll.
The rise was driven by double-digit growth in all regions except Europe, where heavy discounting at many retailers was putting lifestyle footwear under pressure, the company said.
In a separate statement, Adidas said it appointed Birgit Kretschmer to succeed Harm Ohlmeyer as chief financial officer at the end of the year, following Ohlmeyer’s decision not to extend his current term.
(Reporting by Linda Pasquini;Editing by Ludwig Burger and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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