 | |
.svg) Reebok Wordmark. | |
| Formerly | Reebok |
|---|---|
| Company type |
|
| Industry | Textile, Sports equipment |
| Predecessor | J.W. Foster and Sons |
| Founded | 1958; 68 years ago (1958)[a] inBolton,England[2][3] |
| Founder | Jeff andJoe Foster |
| Headquarters |
|
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Todd Krinsky (CEO) |
| Products | Sportswear, footwear |
| Brands | |
| Owner | Authentic Brands Group |
| Parent |
|
| Subsidiaries | Galaxy Universal |
| Website | reebok.com |
Reebok International Limited (/ˈriːbɒk/REE-bok) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part ofAuthentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company toJ.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had been founded in 1895 inBolton, Lancashire. From 1958 until 1986, the brand featured the flag of the United Kingdom in its logo to signify the origins of the company. It was bought by German sporting goods companyAdidas in 2005, then sold to the United States–based Authentic Brands Group in 2021. The company's global headquarters are located inBoston, Massachusetts, in theSeaport District.
In 1895, Joseph William Foster at the age of 14 started work in his bedroom above his father's sweetshop inBolton, England, and designed some of the earliestspiked running shoes.[4] After his ideas progressed, he founded his business J.W. Foster in 1900; later he joined with his sons and changed the company name toJ.W. Foster and Sons.[5] Foster opened a small factory called Olympic Works, and gradually became famous among athletes for his "running pumps".[4][6] The company began distributing its shoes across the United Kingdom, which were worn by British athletes. They were made famous by 100m Olympic championHarold Abrahams in the1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris.[6][7]
In 1958, in Bolton, two of the founder's grandsons, Jeff andJoe Foster, formed a companion company "Reebok", having found the name in a dictionary won in a sprint race by Joe as a boy.[3] The name isAfrikaans for thegrey rhebok,[disputed –discuss] a type of Africanantelope.[6][8]
In 1979, American businessmanPaul Fireman took notice of Reebok at the Chicago NSGA (National Sporting Goods of America) Show. Fireman had previously been an executive with his family business Boston Camping,[9] and negotiated a deal to license and distribute the Reebok brand in the United States. The division became known asReebok USA Ltd.[10] That year, Fireman introduced three new shoes to the market at $60. By 1981, Reebok reached more than $1.5 million in sales.[5]
In 1982, Reebok debuted theReebok Freestyle aerobics shoe, the first athletic shoe designed for women.[5][11] The following year Reebok's sales were $13 million,[12] and Fireman bought the English-based parent company in 1984. Officially an American company in 1985, Reebok had itsinitial public offering on theNew York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RBK and was renamed Reebok International Limited.[7][13]
The brand established itself in professional tennis with the Newport Classic shoe, popularized byBoris Becker andJohn McEnroe, and the Revenge Plus, also known as the Club C. The company began expanding from tennis and aerobics shoes to running and basketball throughout the mid to late 1980s, the most significant segment of the athletic footwear industry.[13] One of the company's most iconic technologies,[14] theReebok Pump, debuted in 1989[15][16] with more than 100 professional athletes wearing the footwear by 1992, includingShaquille O'Neal.[5][17]
In 1986, Reebok changed the company logo it had used since its founding, from the flag of the United Kingdom to the vector logo—an abstract Union Flag streak across a race track—which mirrored the design of the side flashes of its shoes.[18] The switch signaled the transition of the company into a performance brand as it began licensing deals with professional athletes in theNBA andNFL.[19] Reebok also began developing sports clothing and accessories, and introduced a line of children's athletic shoes called Weeboks.[20] It acquiredRockport for $118.5 million in 1986[21] andAvia for $180 million a year later.[5] By mid-decade, Reebok's sales were about $1 billion, and it overtookNike, Inc. as the largest athletic shoe manufacturer in the US before losing the top position in 1988.[22][1]
Reebok worked with fitness professional Gin Miller in the late 1980s to develop Step Reebok, based on Miller's wooden prototype step and her ideas forstep aerobics. The Step was evaluated in physiology trials undertaken by Drs. Lorna and Peter Francis atSan Diego State University. In August 1989 the Step was ready, made in molded plastic by Sports Step of Atlanta with Reebok's name on it,[23] and by March 1990, the step aerobics classes were attracting media attention.[24] Miller promoted Step Reebok in person, touring the U.S. and demonstrating it at exercise studios. Step aerobics became widely popular, helping the company sell many thousands of adjustable-height step devices and millions of high-top shoes with ankle support.[8] Step aerobics peaked in 1995 with 11.4 million people exercising in that style.[25]
Reebok namedCarl Yankowski president and chief executive officer of the brand in 1998, replacing former president Robert Meers.[26][27] Yankowski stepped down one year later to accept an executive position at another company. Reebok chairman and CEOPaul Fireman took over as president for the first time in 12 years.[27]
In 2001, Reebok hiredPeter Arnell with the Arnell Group as its lead marketing agency, which created severaladvertising campaigns, including a successful series ofTerry Tate commercials.[28] The agency also helped develop theYao Ming line, and the fashion-oriented Rbk brand.[29][30][31] In December, Jay Margolis was named as Reebok's president andCOO.[32] After launching retail flagship stores in China, Dhaka, London, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Tokyo, Margolis resigned in October 2004. Fireman took over as president after signing a new long-term employment agreement with the Reebok board of directors.[33] In 2016, Reebok announced it would move its global headquarters fromCanton toBoston with intentions to lay off about 300 employees as part of the move.[34]
Reebok acquired officialNational Hockey League sponsorCCM in 2004.[35] The company began manufacturingice hockey equipment under the CCM and Reebok brands. It phased out the CCM name on NHL authentic and replica jerseys, using the Reebok logo since 2005. CCM became Reebok-CCM Hockey in 2007. Reebok moved most of its hockey equipment lines to CCM after 2015.[36] In 2017, Adidas sold CCM to a Canadian private equity firm, Birch Hill Equity Partners, for around$110 million.[37]
Following an intellectual property lawsuit in August 2005,Adidas acquired Reebok as a subsidiary, but maintained operations under their separate brand names.[38][39][40] Adidas acquired all of the outstanding Reebok shares and completed the deal valued at $3.8 billion.[41] Following the acquisition, Adidas replaced Reebok as the official uniform supplier for theNBA in 2006[18] with an 11-year deal that included theWNBA, replica jerseys, and warm-up gear.[42]
Reebok named Paul Harrington president and CEO of the company in January 2006, replacing Paul Fireman who was acting president since 2004. Harrington joined the company in 1994 and was Reebok's senior vice president of global operations and chief supply chain officer.[43]
In 2010, Reebok announced a partnership withCrossFit, a fitness company and competitive fitness sport, including sponsoring theCrossFit Games, opening CrossFit studios, and introducing a line of co-branded footwear and apparel for Fall 2011.[44] In 2011, Reebok debuted the CrossFitdelta symbol on the brand's fitness apparel line. As it lost contracts to make sportswear for professional and college teams (its last uniform rights contract, with the NHL, ended in 2017), Reebok began repositioning itself as a fitness-oriented brand, just as it had been during the 1980s and early 1990s.[45]
In 2013, Reebok announced another fitness partnership withLes Mills International.[18] The agreement included Reebok footwear and clothing integration into Les Mills' fitness programs and media marketing. By July 2013, the red delta sign began appearing on Reebok's fitness collections. The brand announced it was phasing out the vector logo and replacing it with the delta sign, the company's second logo change in more than 120 years. The delta symbol is meant to symbolize three pillars of positive self-change—mental, physical and social—as Reebok increases its presence in the fitness industry with yoga, dance, aerobics and CrossFit.[19]
Following a successful re-release of many of its sneaker and apparel lines from the early/mid 1990s, in November 2019, Reebok announced that it was updating the 1992 vector logo along with the original "Reebok" script inMotter Tektura typeface and restoring both as the company's core brand identity, citing that consumers still identified with them rather than the red delta logo,[46] although the delta would continue to be used on some fitness lines.
In February 2021, Adidas announced plans to divest Reebok after analyzing options[47] and expected a hit of about€250 million to operating profit from costs to sell or spin-off the business.[48] In July 2021, Adidas shortlisted bidders for the brand, the finalist companies beingWolverine World Wide andAuthentic Brands Group (ABG) on a joint deal, private equity companiesAdvent International,CVC,Cerberus Capital, andSycamore Partners, with a deadline for August 2021.[49] On August 12, 2021, it was announced that ABG would acquire the Reebok brand from Adidas for at least $2.5 billion.[50] On March 1, 2022, the acquisition was finalized.[51] In the United States, ABG internally licensed the brand toSPARC Group, itsjoint venture withSimon Property Group;[52][53] ABG also licensed the brand to theAccent Group in Australia and New Zealand,New Guards Group in Europe, the Falic Group in much of Latin America, and another licensee in Israel.[54] SPARC Group merged withJCPenney to formCatalyst Brands in January 2025, divesting the U.S. license to New York-based shoe wholesaler Galaxy Universal in the process;[55][56] ABG also gave Galaxy Universal the brand license for Europe, which it had revoked from New Guards in November 2024, via a joint venture with Batra Group named GB Brands Europe Limited.[56][57]
On October 10, 2025, a collective of runners presented a letter from 367 Palestinian sports teams to the headquarters of Reebok, urging the company to retract its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA). This situation has placed Reebok in a challenging position.[58][59] As per a statement issued by the Israel Football Association (IFA), it has been reported that Reebok requested its local equipment supplier, MSG Group, to eliminate its logo from the uniforms of the Israeli team. Shortly thereafter, the union declared that the request had been put on hold following discussions between IFA President Moshe Zuares and representatives from Reebok and MSG Group.[60]
.jpg){kind=logo}
.png){kind=logo}
.jpg){kind=logo}
.svg)
Reebok's global headquarters are located inBoston, Massachusetts, in theSeaport District.[61][62] InEMEA countries, Authentic Brands Group is working withBounty Apparel in South Africa,Al Boom Marine in the Middle East and North Africa, andFlo Magazacilik in Turkey to grow the business.[63]
Reebok designs, manufactures, distributes and sells fitness, running andCrossFit sportswear including clothing and accessories. The company has released numerous notable styles of footwear including the 1982 introduction of theReebok Freestyle that was exclusively marketed for women.[64] In 1984, the shoe accounted for more than half of Reebok's sales, and the company subsequently released similar styles including the Princess, Empress and Dutchess lines.[65] Following theaerobics trend from the 1980s to early 1990s, Reebok released workout programs called Reebok Step beginning in 1989.[66]
To compete withNike Air, Reebok introduced Energy Return System (ERS) in 1987, in which a series of horizontal cylinders in the midsole acted as springs. It was gradually phased out upon the arrival of "Hexalite" cushioning.[67] In 1989, the brand introduced one of its signature shoes, theReebok Pump. The footwear collection was released as a men's basketball shoe and the first adjustable fit controlled with manual air allocation.[68] TheReebok Ventilator, a line of lightweight athletic shoes with vented side panels, was first introduced in 1990.[69]
In 1996, Reebok signed a $50 million endorsement deal withAllen Iverson when he signed with thePhiladelphia 76ers.[70][71] Iverson collaborated with Reebok during his contract to create the second-longest running basketball shoe line in history, beginning with the Question shoe in 1996 and ending with Answer XIV.[72]
In 2010, the brand releasedReebok Zig, an athletic footwear technology and collection of shoes featuring zigzag foam soles designed to push athletes forward.[73] The Reebok Nano was released in 2011 as the first official CrossFit shoe.[74] The company has also partnered withLes Mills and CrossFit to produce more fitness apparel, footwear, and workouts.[8][75] Reebok debuted the Z-Series foam, a combination of dense midsole and outsole foam that is cushioned but durable, in 2014 on the ZQuick TR with Reebok's new delta logo.[76]
Reebok Future innovation house has developed a new technology called Liquid Factory. A robot will extrude liquidpolyurethane and "draw" shoe components without the use of traditional shoe molds.[77]
In 2017, the UFC announced the launch of a new line under the name Fight Night Collection that includes an upgraded version of the Reebok-branded apparels.[78]
Reebok sponsored kits for top seeded Indian Football clubs,Mohun Bagan AC (2006–2011) andEast Bengal FC (2003–2005, 2006–2010).[79] Later it sponsored kits forIndian Premier League teams, such as theRoyal Challengers Bangalore,Kolkata Knight Riders,Rajasthan Royals andChennai Super Kings in the first edition of the league held in 2008. However, for the second edition held in 2009, the sponsorships includedRoyal Challengers Bangalore,Kolkata Knight Riders,Chennai Super Kings,Kings XI Punjab kits.[80][81] Indian Cricket player Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Bollywood star Bipasha Basu endorsed the Reebok shoes together during 2009.[82]
In May 2012, Reebok India filed a criminal complaint against former managerial employees, Subhinder Singh Prem and Vishnu Bhagat, accusing them of a financial fraud of up toUS$233 million.[83] On the charge of allegedForeign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violations, Reebok India was booked and may face penal action.[84] Twelve further arrests of employees and associates were made during the same period. As of July 2013, Prem and Bhagat were granted bail by the high court but remained imprisoned following their detainment in September 2012.[85]
One of Reebok's most prominent athletes, Indian cricketerMahendra Singh Dhoni, was named byForbes as the world's thirty first highest-paid sportsperson in June 2012. At the time of the article, Dhoni endorsed more than 20 other brands in deals that were cumulatively valued at US$23 million.[86]
In September 2022, the Panamanian Football Federation (FEPAFUT) announced a sponsorship agreement with Reebok, set to run from January 2023 through December 2026. Under the terms of the partnership, Reebok provides official match kits, training apparel, and camp gear for all national football teams, including the men's and women's squads across all age categories, as well as the national futsal and beach soccer teams.
This agreement marks Reebok's return as a sponsor of FEPAFUT, having previously partnered with the federation between 1996 and 1997.[citation needed]
The company maintained its relationship with its origins in England through a long-term sponsorship deal withBolton Wanderers, aLeague Onefootball club, however, in 2009, Bolton changed their sponsorship to 188bet. When the team moved to a brand new ground in the late-1990s, their new home was named theReebok Stadium.
Several other English clubs, such asLiverpool F.C., had Reebok sponsorship deals up until the purchase byAdidas, but most have since switched to either the parent brand (which has a long history in football) or another company altogether. In April 2014, Bolton Wanderers officially announced the Reebok Stadium would be officially rebranded in a new sponsorship deal with sportswear manufacturerMacron, who will manufacture the club's kits and sponsor the stadium under the name Macron Stadium in a four-year deal announced by the club's chairman,Phil Gartside.[87] In Germany, Reebok sponsored football club1. FC Köln.[88]
Inrugby union, Reebok sponsored theWales national team until late 2008, who won theGrand Slam in theSix Nations Championship in that year, and theTasman Makos in New Zealand's domestic competition, theAir New Zealand Cup.[89]
Reebok have several sponsorship deals with Europeanbasketball teams, includingHapoel Tel Aviv BC of theIsraeli Basketball Premier League and theEuroCup Basketball[90]
In 2006,Arsenal andFrance national team strikerThierry Henry signed a deal to join the"I Am What I Am" campaign on August 1, 2006.[91]Manchester United wingerRyan Giggs has also featured in"I Am What I Am" commercials.[92]Andriy Shevchenko started his endorsement deal with the company in 2006.[93][94]
In fall 2024, it was announced that Reebok would be the kit sponsor forLeigh Leopards Rugby League team in the UKBetfred Super League for the 2025 season.Leigh is eight miles south ofBolton, the origins of the brand.
In a controversial move, Reebok signed a kit sponsorship deal with theIsraeli national team in 2025.[95]
In February 2019, the Russian Instagram version of a global Reebok advertising campaign to promote female empowerment under the hashtag #BeMoreHuman featured the slogan "Sit not on the needle of men's approval – sit on men's face." After facing outrage on social media, Reebok removed the slogan and their Russian marketing director resigned.[96]
On March 21, 2022, Reebok suspended all branded stores and e-commerce operations in Russia afterRussia's invasion of Ukraine.[97]
On May 30, 2023 it was reported that the business of Reebok in the Russian Federation was transferred to Turkish FLO Retailing and was rebranded to "SneakerBox".[98] FLO Retailing has been cited to make Reebok-branded product manufacturing in Turkish factories for a number of countries.[99] Reebok merchandise is publicly available on the Sneakerbox website in Russia.[100]
After Reebok (Nike,Adidas,Puma) leaves Russia, sneakers and goods enter the country through parallel imports or counterfeit products are produced.[101]
In 2004, Reebok entered into a deal that allows them the rights to manufactureCanadian Football League (CFL) onfield jerseys, sideline gear and footwear; this deal ended in 2015.[102]
In Mexico, Reebok was kit provider ofChivas de Guadalajara before the team was taken over by parent company Adidas in 2011.[103]
Reebok shoes were featured asproduct placement advertising on theNickelodeon game showDouble Dare in the 1980s.[104] Reebok product placement was used for a gag in theSuper Mario Bros. live-action film, where the soles of aBob-omb's feet are printed with the brand logo.[105]
Reebok signedVenus Williams after she won singles titles atWimbledon and the2000 Summer Olympics.[106] From 2002 to 2012, the company held the exclusive rights to manufacture and market both authentic and replica uniform jerseys, sideline clothing and caps, and onfield football footwear (marketed asNFL Equipment) of the teams of theNational Football League (NFL). It hired filmmakerErrol Morris to produce a series of 30-second commercials that aired during the 2006 NFL season.[107][108]
In 2004, Reebok signed a four-year deal as the official shoe supplier toMajor League Baseball (MLB).[109] It became the exclusive apparel outfitter for the 29 teams in theNBA,[110] and 16WNBA teams for ten years beginning in the 2004–2005 season.[111] The deal also added the Reebok vector logo to the 2004 U.S. Olympic basketball team's uniforms.[112]
Reebok held the rights to produce the on-iceEdge Uniform System, performance clothing and training footwear of theNational Hockey League (NHL) in a 10-year agreement from 2007 to 2017.[35]
On December 2, 2014, theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced a six-year deal with Reebok, which began in July 2015.[113]
In July 2018,Reebok Boston Track Club announced it would be led by coach Chris Fox from Syracuse University.[114][115][116]
In 2005, Reebok also signed an exclusive agreement to design and supply all eight team home and away strips for the new AustralianA-League competition. Although not an expensive deal, this partnership paid dividends for Reebok, due to the growing popularity of football and the league in the area. An estimated 125,000 A-League jerseys were sold in Australia, a record for a single league's sales in a year for a sports manufacturer.[117] Reebok's agreement ended at the finish of the 2010–11 season. On 29 September 2022, it announced a partnership with theNational Basketball League (NBL) as the official footwear partner for the 2022–23 season.[118]
Reebok was the uniform provider for Brazilian clubsCruzeiro,Vasco,International andSão Paulo FC; Argentine clubBanfield;[119] Paraguayan clubGeneral Díaz, and Uruguayan clubPeñarol.[120] Reebok also sponsored several national teams such asArgentina,Chile,Colombia, andParaguay.[121]
In November 2022, the company announced its return to the football stage, signing a new deal with Brazilian clubBotafogo.[122][123] In January 2025, Chilean clubUnión Española announced a new deal with Reebok.[124]
New York rapperJay-Z became the first non-athlete to get a signature shoe from Reebok. The"S. Carter Collection by Rbk" was launched on November 21, 2002, and theS. Carter sneaker became the fastest-selling shoe in the company's history.[125] Later, Reebok also made a deal with another New York-based rapper50 Cent to release a line ofG-Unit sneakers, as well as St. Louis-based rapperNelly and Israeli violinistMiri Ben-Ari have become spokespersons for the company.[126][30] Reebok also signed actressScarlett Johansson and introduced her own line of clothing and footwear calledScarlett Hearts, part of theRbk Lifestyle Collection. The company also produces shoes forEmporio Armani under the labelEA7. Other high-profile entertainment figures that have signed endorsement agreements with Reebok over the years includeAriana Grande,Gal Gadot,Gigi Hadid,Victoria Beckham,[127][128]Cardi B, andCamille Kostek.[129]
The Reebok Foundation operates the "Build Our Kids' Success" (BOKS) program to provide US schoolchildren with physical activities before the school day. Reebok funds the program with direct grants and by contributing a percentage of shoe sales.[130]
{{cite web}}:Check|url= value (help)CFL and Reebok have just signed a new five-year contract extending the current deal that was signed in 2004.
| Subsidiaries |
| | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brands | ||||
| Sneakers | ||||
| Related companies |
| |||
| Advertising | ||||
| Sponsorships | ||||
| Key people |
| |||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
