Reebok

Reebok , founded in 1890, is a sporting equipment supplier English, whose head office is with Bolton (England).

History

The group began in Great Britain in the Années 1890, at the time where Joseph William Foster was one of the first to manufacture shoes of athletics to point (for example, shoes for golf). Company J.W. Foster and Sons manufactures all its shoes with the hand and acquires customers of international athletes, by in particular providing the shoes carried to the Olympic Games of Paris.

In 1958, the two grandsons of the company re-elect it Reebok, name which points out that of a variety of Antilope southern African, the rhebok. In 1979, the company never launches out to the attack of the North-American market by selling shoes of race at a price considering: 60 US dollars.

In 1981, the states-unienne subsidiary company sells for more than 1,5 billion dollar US and its growth seems assured for several years.

It is the first to produce a model of exclusively female tennis shoe in 1982. Baptized Reebok Freestyle, it addresses to the women practitioner a gymnastics which will be soon with the mode.

It is with dimensions with the Bourse of New York since 1985.

It is in 1989 that the system of compressed air knows its hour of glory. The company improves the product while allowing to inflate or déglonfer air cushions in the shoe. At the beginning, the sales do not take off, because the shoes are sold expensive. By extending the concept to a whole range of tennis shoe and by calling upon a high-speed motorboat of the basketball states-unien in a massive advertizing campaign, it releases from important profits. This approach will be adopted by Nike, which will engage Michael Jordan.

Thereafter, it extends its activity to other sports. Towards the end of the Years 1990, it also engages in sponsorship of high level sportsmen, such as Venus Williams, the champion of Tennis. In 2000, it signs an partnership agreement with NFL. It signs with NBA in 2001.

In 2004, it acquires the marks of equipment of Hockey CCM, Jofa and Koho, becoming with the passage, one of the giant of the industry of hockey and principal competitor of Nike Bauer. It becomes also the official supplier of the shirts for the teams of the National league of hockey.

In 2005, it also holds the marks Rockport (shoes), Greg Norman (golf) and Ralph Lauren Footwear.

The Reebok mark represents 84 % of the sales of the company.

The August 3rd 2005, by the means of a friendly tender offer of 3,8 billion dollars US, Adidas posts its intention to buy this multinational.

Anecdote

Allen Iverson, player of the Nuggets of Denver, has just signed a contract with life with Reebok. This agreement runs over the ten next years for 56,24 million Euro S.

Amélie Mauresmo better player French of tennis of the open era has sign with Reebok very right before Roland Garros 2005 leaving Nike. Mauresmo has 24 titles including two Large Slams, a masters, a money medal to the Olympic Games of Athens 2004, a Fed Cup end in 2003 and was world number one during 39 weeks.

It should be noted that the French footballer, Thierry Henry, signed a contract of sponsoring in 2006 thus signing of Nike to Reebok, it is the great return of the mark in world football. It is also the sponsor of the guard of Real Madrid, Iker Casillas and of the gold balloon 2004 Andrei Shevchenko, new the star of Chelsea but also of Ryan Giggs, the left winger of Manchester United. Previously it was the equipment supplier of Raúl (captain of the Real Madrid).

Models of shoe

Reebok Freestyle

External bond

Official site

Source

Reebok - an American giant of British origin and in the name of gazelle

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