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 World headquarters inKobe, Japan | |
Native name | 株式会社アシックス |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha Ashikkusu |
| Company type | Public (K.K) |
| TYO:7936 | |
| Industry | Sports equipment,textile |
| Founded |
|
| Founder | Kihachiro Onitsuka [ja] |
| Headquarters | , Japan |
Number of locations | ≈ 1,900 outlet stores worldwide (2017)[1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Motoi Oyama (Chairman andCEO)[2] |
| Products | Footwear, apparel, sports equipment |
| Brands | Onitsuka Tiger |
| Revenue |  ¥570.4 billion (2023) |
| ¥54.2 billion (2023) | |
| ¥35.2 billion (2023) | |
Number of employees | ≈ 8,900 (2023) |
| Subsidiaries |
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| Website | asics.com |
| Footnotes / references [3] | |
ASICS Corporation (Japanese:株式会社アシックス,Hepburn:Kabushiki gaisha Ashikkusu), commonly known as simplyAsics (/ˈæsɪks/,/ˈɑːsɪks/[4] or/ˈeɪsɪks/), is a Japanesemultinational corporation that producessportswear. Asics is best known for itssneakers, but also produces otherfootwear such assandals, as well asclothing (T-shirts,jackets,hoodies,swimwear,compression garments,leggings,socks) and accessories (bags,backpacks,caps).
The name is anacronym for theLatin phraseanima sana in corpore sano (translated by the company as "a sound mind, in a sound body"). It is headquartered inKobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
Asics began asOnitsuka Co., Ltd. on September 1, 1949.[5] FounderKihachiro Onitsuka [ja] began manufacturing basketball shoes in his hometown of Kobe inHyōgo Prefecture. The range of sports activities serviced by the company expanded to a variety of Olympic styles used since the 1950s by athletes worldwide. Onitsuka became particularly known for theMexico 66 design,[6] in which the distinctive crossed stripes (now synonymous with the company as theTiger Stripes) were featured for the first time; martial artistBruce Lee helped popularize the shoe. Onitsuka Tiger merged with fishing andsporting goods company GTO and athletic uniform maker Jelenk to form ASICS Corporation in 1977;[5] Onitsuka was named president of the new company. Despite the name change, avintage range of Asics shoes are still[when?] produced and sold internationally under the Onitsuka Tiger label.[7] In 2015, Asics launched itsAsics Tigerlifestyle brand to market sportswear inspired by the company's designs of the 1970s to 1990s.[8]
Asics bought the Swedishoutdoor brandHaglöfs for¥11.4 billion ($128.7 million) on July 12, 2010.[9] In February 2016, Asics acquired fitness appRunkeeper.[10][11] LionRock Capital Limited acquired a 100% interest in Haglöfs from Asics on December 18, 2023.[12]
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Asics generated¥570.4 billion innet sales and¥35.2 billion in net income in fiscal year 2023. 50% of the company's income came from the sale of performance running shoes, 33% from other shoes, 6% from apparel and equipment, and 11% from Onitsuka Tiger. 16% of the company's sales were in Japan, 21% in North America, 27% in Europe, 14% in China and 21% in other regions.[3]
In January 2016, the operator of Asics stores in the US, Windsor Financial Group LLC, filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy protection amid an ongoing dispute with the Asics company.[13]
In March 2021, Asics launchedUnoha (ウノハ), a brand geared towards women.[14] The brand mainly sells its products online and does not use physical locations other thantemporary pop-ups that appear around Japan.[15] Apart from being a female-focused clothing brand, it also pledged to useorganic and environmentally-friendly materials in its products. Unoha's firstbrand ambassador wasHarumi Sato.[16] On July 1, 2024, Asics announced that it had discontinued the brand the previous month after only 3 years of existence.[17]
Nike, Inc. (originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports) was founded to sell Onitsuka Tiger shoes in the U.S. WhenPhil Knight visited Japan in 1963, shortly after graduating fromStanford University, he was impressed by the company's shoes, and immediately visited the Onitsuka Tiger office and asked to be their U.S. sales agent. After a number of years, the relationship crumbled and both companies sued each other, with Nike retaining the naming rights to several shoes.[18]
Asics sponsors a variety of sports associations, teams and individuals; sponsorships includeWorld Athletics, theLos Angeles Marathon, as well as individual athletes such as volleyball playerRan Takahashi, footballerTakehiro Tomiyasu, basketball playerYuki Kawamura, and tennis playersNovak Djokovic,Alex de Minaur andJasmine Paolini.[19][20] The company announced on October 4, 2011, that it would be the new official kit manufacturer for theAustralia national cricket team, replacing German manufacturerAdidas.[21] Asics is also the official sportswear partner of theJapanese Olympic Committee.
In March 2017, employees assembling Asics products inCambodia fainted due to thick smoke present in the factory where they were working. The company responded to this by saying that it, along with the factory in question, would "address specific measures, with a focus on workers' awareness and health and safety training, as well as including an improved air ventilation system".[22]
In March 2021, while severalWestern clothing brands expressed concern over allegations offorced Uyghur labor involved inXinjiang cotton production, Asics also announced that theAustralian Olympic team uniform would not contain cotton sourced from Xinjiang.[23]
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