Puma SE is a German athletic apparel and footwearcorporation headquartered inHerzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. Puma is the third largestsportswear manufacturer in the world.[7]
The company was founded in 1948 byRudolf Dassler (1898–1974). In 1924, Rudolf and his brotherAdolf "Adi" Dassler had jointly formed the companyGebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik ('Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory'). The relationship between the two brothersdeteriorated until they agreed to split in 1948, forming two separate entities,Adidas and Puma. Following the split, Rudolf originally registered the newly established company asRuda (derived from Rudolf Dassler, as Adidas was based on Adi Dassler), but later changed the name toPuma. Puma's earliest logo consisted of a square and beast jumping through aD, which was registered, along with the company's name, in 1948. Puma's shoe and clothing designs feature the Puma logo and the distinctive "Formstrip" which was introduced in 1958.[8]
As of 2022, Puma is operational in over 120 countries worldwide.[9]
Christoph Dassler was a worker in ashoe factory, while his wife Pauline ran a small laundry in theFranconian town of Herzogenaurach, 20 km (12.4 mi) from the city ofNuremberg. After leaving school, their son,Rudolf Dassler, joined his father at the shoe factory. When he returned from fighting inWorld War I, Rudolf was trained as a salesman at aporcelain factory, and later in a leather trading business in Nuremberg.[10]
In July 1924, Rudolf and his younger brother,Adolf, nicknamed "Adi", founded a shoe factory. They named the new business "Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik" (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory) which was the only business at the time that manufactured sports shoes.[11] The pair started their venture in their mother's laundry. At the time, electricity supplies in the town were unreliable, and the brothers sometimes had to use pedal power from a stationary bicycle to run their equipment.[12] In 1927, they moved into a separate building.[13]
The brothers drove from Bavaria to the1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin with a suitcase full of spikes and persuaded United States sprinterJesse Owens to use them, the first sponsorship for an African American. Owens won four gold medals. Business boomed; the Dasslers were selling 200,000 pairs of shoes annually before World War II.[14]
Both brothers joined theNazi Party, but Rudolf was a keen Nazi, who applied to join, and was accepted into theGestapo; they produced boots for theWehrmacht.[15][16] A growing rift between the brothers reached a breaking point during a 1943 Allied bomb attack. Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter that Rudolf and his family were already in. "Here are the bloody bastards again," Adi remarked, apparently referring to the Allied warplanes, but Rudolf, due to his apparent insecurity, was convinced his brother meant him and his family.[17] When Rudolf was later picked up by American soldiers and accused of being a member of theWaffen SS, he was convinced that his brother had turned him in.[12]
After increasingly different views of how to run the business, thebrothers split the business in 1948. Rudolf moved to the other side of theAurach River to start his own company. Adolf started his own company using a name he formed using his nickname—Adi—and the first three letters of his last name—Das—to establishAdidas. Rudolf created a new firm that he called "Ruda", from "Ru" in Rudolf and "Da" in Dassler. A few months later, Rudolf's company changed its name to Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler.[18]
Puma and Adidas entered a fierce and bitter rivalry after the split. The town of Herzogenaurach was divided on the issue, leading to the nickname "the town of bent necks"—people looked down to see which shoes strangers wore.[12]
In the first football match after World War II in 1948, several members of theWest Germany national football team wore Puma boots, including the scorer of West Germany's first post-war goal,Herbert Burdenski.[19] Rudolf developed afootball boot with screw-in studs, called the "Super Atom" in collaboration with people such as West Germany's national coachSepp Herberger.[20]
At the1960 Summer Olympics, Puma paid German sprinterArmin Hary to wear Pumas in the 100-metre sprint final. Hary had previously worn Adidas products and approached Adolf for compensation. However, Adidas declined the request. Despite winning a gold medal in Pumas, Hary chose to wear Adidas during the medals ceremony, surprising the two Dassler brothers. Hary seemingly aimed to benefit financially from both brands, but Adolf was infuriated to the extent of banning the Olympic champion.[14]
During the1968 Olympics Black Power Salute, Puma-sponsored African-American athletesTommie Smith andJohn Carlos, after having won gold and bronze in the 200 meters, respectively, took to the podium with theirPuma Suede shoes in hand and bowed their heads and raised their black-gloved fists in silent protest during the playing of the national anthem, an act meant to stand up for human rights and to stand up for black Americans.[21]
A few months prior to the1970 FIFA World Cup,Armin Dassler (Rudolf's son) of Puma and his cousinHorst Dassler (Adi's son) of Adidas sealed an agreement which was dubbed "The Pelé Pact".[22] This agreement dictated thatPelé would be out of bounds for both Adidas and Puma, feeling that a bidding war for the most famous athlete in the world would become too expensive, only for Puma to break the pact and sign him.[23][24]
In addition to paying Pelé a percentage of Puma King boot sales, Puma paid him $120,000 ($2.85 million in 2022) to tie his laces prior to Brazil's quarter-final game against Peru to advertise their boots.[25][26] An idea conceived by Puma's representative Hans Henningsen, Pelé stopped the referee from starting the game with a last-second request to tie his shoelaces, and with the camera panning in on Pelé, the Puma King boots were broadcast to a global audience, generating enormous publicity for the brand.[24][25]
The most notable event in theDassler brothers feud, the breaking of the "Pelé Pact" outraged Horst, and future peace agreements were called off.[22][23] The Puma deal for Pelé was praised as a shrewd marketing move, and many business experts credit the rivalry and competition between the two companies for transforming sports apparel into a highly lucrative industry.[25]
Puma became a public company in 1986,[30] and thereafter was listed on theBörse München andFrankfurt Stock Exchange; its first profit since theIPO was registered in 1994.[31] In May 1989, Rudolf's sons Armin and Gerd Dassler sold their 72 percent stake in Puma to Swiss businessCosa Liebermann SA.[32] The company acquired Scandinavian Tretorn Group in 2001, later sold toAuthentic Brands Group in 2015.[33] For the fiscal year 2003, the company had revenue of €1.274 billion, and majority shareholder Monarchy/Regency sold its shareholdings to a broad base of institutional investors.[34]
In February 2007, Puma reported that its profits had fallen by 26% to €32.8 million ($43 million; £22 million) during the final three months of 2006. Most of the decline in profits was due to higher costs linked to its expansion; sales rose by more than a third to €480.6 million.[35] In early April, Puma's shares rose €29.25 per share, or about 10.2%, to €315.24 per share.[36] On 10 April, the French conglomerate PPR (which became Kering in 2013) announced that it had bought a 27% stake in Puma, clearing the way for a full takeover. The deal valued Puma at €5.3 billion. PPR said that it would launch a friendly takeover of Puma, worth €330 a share, once the acquisition of the smaller stake was completed. The board of Puma welcomed the move, saying it was fair and in the firm's best interests. As of July 2007, PPR owned over 60% of Puma stock.[37]
In 2008,Melody Harris-Jensbach was appointed deputy chief executive officer; designer and artistHussein Chalayan became creative director,[38] and Puma acquired a majority stake in Chalayan's fashion business.[39]
In 2010, Puma acquiredCobra Golf, and took over bodywear and socks company Dobotex the following year.[40][41] In July 2011, the company completed a conversion from anAktiengesellschaft (Germanpublic limited company) to aSocietas Europaea, theEuropean Union-wide equivalent, changing its name fromPuma AG Rudolf Dassler Sport toPuma SE.[42] At the same time,Franz Koch [de] replaced the long-servingJochen Zeitz as the firm'schief executive officer (CEO), with Zeitz becoming chairman.[43] The company has been led by former football professional Bjørn Gulden since 1 July 2013. Arne Freundt was appointed CEO in November 2022.[44]
In April 2025, Puma announced that CEO Arne Freundt would step down due to differing views on strategy with the supervisory board. He is to be succeeded by Arthur Hoeld, a formerAdidas executive, effective 1 July 2025.[45]
Puma has been a public company since 1986, listed on theFrankfurt Stock Exchange. French luxury groupKering (formerly known as PPR) holds 9.8%, Kering's largest shareholder Groupe Artemis owns 29% of the share capital.[46]
Puma ranks as one of the top shoe brands with Adidas andNike,[7] and employs more than 18,000 people worldwide.[4] The company has corporate offices around the world, including four defined as "central hubs":Assembly Row, Somerville, Massachusetts;[47]Hong Kong;Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and global headquarters inHerzogenaurach, Germany.[48]
Puma utilizes social media marketing activities (SMMA) to leverage customer purchases in Indonesia and boost brand awareness, brand image, and brand equity. Purchase intention was significantly influenced by brand awareness caused by SMMA. When consumers are more aware of Puma and have a positive image of the brand, they are more likely to purchase its products. Puma's social media marketing strategies have a direct effect on purchase intentions, which is a leading indicator of actual sales, especially in the middle class.[50][51]
Through supply chain finance, Puma helps suppliers avoid cash flow issues by offering early payment on invoices, reducing costs and risk. The company uses the Infor Nexus digital platform to streamline the process, connecting buyers, suppliers, and banks. This platform enables fast, electronic payment and provides transparency, reducing manual work for suppliers and offering quicker access to financing, with payments made within five days of delivery.[52]
In 2018, Puma announced its entrance back into basketball after a break of almost 20 years, and appointedJay-Z as the division's creative director.[64][65]Marvin Bagley III,Deandre Ayton,Zhaire Smith, andMichael Porter Jr. are the first players to join Puma's basketball roster and play in performance Puma basketball shoes.[66][67] In December 2021, the brand launched High Court, its first women's basketball line, designed by creative directorJune Ambrose.[68]
Rihanna was named creative director of Puma's womenswear line in December 2014.[85] Two years later, Puma partnered withThe Weeknd as a creative collaborator.[86] In 2018, Puma launched its venture with its ambassadorSelena Gomez called "Phenom Lux"[87][88] In 2019,Big Sean became Puma's brand ambassador.[89] Puma has also partnered withLaMelo Ball, NBA athlete, in 2020 to create a line including sports, culture, music and fashion.
In 2024, Puma appointedMilind Soman as its running ambassador.[citation needed] The same year,Sekou became the brand's ambassador.[90] Later in June,Rosé becomes Puma's brand ambassador.[91]
On October 8, 2024, Puma announced a partnership withTyrese Haliburton to make him the face of its basketball division.[92] On June 5, 2025, prior to Game 1 of theNBA Finals, the brand announced Haliburton's first signature shoe, the Puma Hali 1, designed bySalehe Bembury.[93] That night, while wearing his shoe for the first time, Haliburton hit a game winning shot with 0.3 seconds left to give theIndiana Pacers a 1-0 series lead. The Hali 1 was released globally on September 26, 2025.[94]
In 2000, Puma began auditing all of its suppliers on a yearly basis, and makes the results available in its sustainability reports. Since 2005, it has publicly provided a list of its suppliers.[95]
In August 2004, a joint report from theNational Labor Committee andChina Labor Watch stated that workers at some of Puma's Chinese factories were enduringsweatshop conditions, working up to 16.5 hours per day for about US$0.31 an hour. Puma said it would investigate the claims.[96]
In February 2012, a woman who worked for one of Puma's suppliers inCambodia was shot during a protest over factory working conditions. Puma acknowledged the poor working conditions and said it would work to improve the situation.[97]
According to a joint report fromLabour Behind the Label and Community Legal Education Centre, 30 workers fainted in November 2012 while producing clothing for Puma in China. The faintings were caused by excessive heat and alleged forced overtime.[98][99] In 2014, almost 120 workers fainted in two Cambodian clothing factories where sportswear was being produced for Puma and Adidas, due to temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 °C).[99][100] In March 2017, 150 workers assembling Puma products in Cambodia fainted due to thick smoke.[101]
Puma has obtained the Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation for its Australian-made products.[102] This labour-friendly accreditation applies to only a small percentage of Puma's total production.[citation needed]
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