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Adidas Happy To Get Back Into Bed With Mike Ashley

10 years ago
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Last year saw a very public falling out, with threats by Adidas that they would stop Sports Direct selling some of their premium lines of sportswear.

However, the Chief Executive of Adidas has made clear that the sportswear giants are now keen to build bridges with Ashley’s empire.

The ongoing row between Adidas and Sports Direct had centred around the downmarket and chaotic look of the retailer’s outlets.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Herbert Hainer, Chief Executive of Adidas, has stated that their main objective  is to, “…improve the situation with the retail partners.”

Herbert Hainer;

“Our main objective is definitely to improve the situation with the retail partners. I don’t know exactly how many stores Sports Direct International have in England but it’s definitely a lot. I want to see our brand get good presentation in all these stores, the same with JD Sport, you name them.

“We are in permanent discussion as to how we can improve our presence and visibility in the (SDI) stores. I must say SDI is a very good customer and we’re working very closely together in a lot of different forms. This is a normal game that if somebody doesn’t get what he wants, that he’s not satisfied, and we’re not happy with the presentation, we tell them.”

Obviously money talks and ‘business is business’, it just reaffirms what a powerful position Mike Ashley occupies when it comes to sportswear companies trying to get their product out to the public.

Just to sum up the pragmatism of ‘business’, in the same interview Hainer confirmed Adidas was continuing with its sponsorship of FIFA despite allegations of corruption, whilst during last week the German sportswear manufacturer had simply warned Luis Suarez as to what conduct is expected from one of the paid public faces of their company.

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