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German sports activities model Puma noticed its share worth rise over 14% on Thursday morning after a report that China’s Anta Sports activities is exploring a takeover.
Hours earlier than the opening bell in Frankfurt, Bloomberg Information reported that Hong Kong-listed Anta had been working with an adviser to guage a bid for Puma. The corporate could staff up with a personal fairness agency if it decides to maneuver ahead with a suggestion.
Anta didn’t instantly reply to Euronews’ requests for remark, whereas Puma declined to remark.
Bloomberg’s report added that different potential bidders might embody Chinese language sportswear group Li Ning, which has been discussing financing choices with banks, or Japanese sportswear firms comparable to Asics.
Asics didn’t instantly reply to Euronews’ request for remark.
In an emailed assertion, a Li Ning spokesperson stated that the corporate “stays dedicated to its core technique of ‘Single Model, Multi-categories, Diversified Channels’, and can proceed to give attention to the expansion and growth of the Li Ning model.”
“As of now, the corporate has not engaged in any substantive negotiations or evaluations relating to the transaction talked about within the information,” they stated.
The takeover curiosity comes as Puma, which employed round 20,000 full-time staff firstly of 2025, is weathering a rocky monetary interval.
The German model has misplaced greater than three-quarters of its market worth over the previous 5 years because it struggles to retain floor within the aggressive sportswear trade.
US tariffs on China and Vietnam, main manufacturing bases for Puma, are creating appreciable uncertainty and eroding revenue margins.
Analysts have additionally criticised the agency’s branding because it was gradual to adapt to the retro trainers craze, spotlighting its Palermo and Speedcat footwear after Adidas had already tapped into the market with its Samba and Gazelle trainers.
“Amid ongoing unstable geopolitical and macroeconomic volatility, Puma anticipates that each sector-wide and company-specific challenges will considerably influence efficiency for the rest of 2025,” Puma stated in its third-quarter earnings report. “Key elements embody a muted model momentum, shifts in channel combine and high quality, the influence of US tariffs, and elevated stock ranges.”
CEO Arthur Hoeld, appointed in spring as a part of a shake-up effort, is pushing forward with a metamorphosis drive, hoping to return the corporate to development by 2027.
To realize this ambition, Puma introduced 900 job cuts in October, including to 500 layoffs reported earlier within the yr.
Alongside lowering the agency’s product vary, Hoeld can also be looking for to modify up the corporate’s wholesale technique, boosting direct gross sales to customers somewhat than specializing in gross sales to low cost retailers.
Trying forward, a serious roadblock to a Puma takeover might come within the type of resistance from France’s billionaire Pinault household.
Artémis, a holding firm owned by the Pinault household, holds round 29% of Puma — acquired from Kering in 2018.
Earlier this yr, Artémis stated it was contemplating all choices for the stake in Puma.
