Under Armour超越Adidas成為第二大運動品牌
在美國，這個全球規模最大的運動服裝市場，僅有18年曆史的新銳品牌 Under Armour剛剛超越了老牌Adidas成為僅次於Nike的全美第二大運動品牌。根據Sterne Agee和SportScanInfo提供的數據，今年1～8月，在美國市場，Adidas AG集團的銷售同比下滑 23%至11億美金，而同期，Under Armour Inc.公司的銷售上揚20% 達12億美金，躍居全美第二。同期運動服飾老大Nike的美國銷售額有89億美金，依然傲視群雄。
在全球範圍，Adidas仍是緊隨Nike之後的第二大運動品牌，但在美國市場，儘管2005年Adidas以40億美金收購了Reebok銳步，仍未能按預期在Nike的家鄉美國完成反擊。這家于1948年以足球起家的德國運動品牌一邊守衛著Nike虎視眈眈的歐洲大本營，同時還要加強美國市場的營銷。
Adidas在最近的年中報告中下調了對2015年銷售額170億歐元的預期，當日股票跌幅超8%。Adidas在美國市場僅在足球業務上有所作為，管理層希望Adidas可以在橄欖球、棒球和籃球業務中有更好的表現。
風頭正勁的Under Armour雖然不及Adidas的規模，但在跑步服飾上表現突出，也是其全線產品中銷售最好的品類，雖然現有批發網絡到達終端的能力有限，但不妨礙品牌迅速擴張鞋類用品，特別是籃球鞋。
Under Armour始創于1996年總部設于美國馬裏蘭州Baltimore，成立當年銷售額僅為1萬7千美金，但2014年的標普500股票中，截至至8月表現最佳的40股票中，Under Armour(UA)漲幅位列第三，也是消費品行業表現最亮眼的股票，漲幅高達57.85%
Under Armour品牌簡史：
Under Armour(簡稱UA)這個品牌是1996年在美國創立的，品牌的創辦人Kevin Plank已多次入選美國福布斯排名40歲以下的TOP 10的CEO。因為本身是運動員出身，曾是美國馬裏蘭大學橄欖球隊的隊長，運動流汗時，他很不滿意棉質衣服在訓練過程時對吸汗的表現，認為市面上的運動服飾都沒有符合他的需求，尋找一種能快速吸汗、排汗的服裝材料和創立一家能增強運動員表現的體育用品品牌的想法在那時被激發了。所以決定自己開始研發運動用的內著衣，就在他祖母家的地下室，他研發出了微纖維T恤 (micro fiber T-shirt)，並提供給不少人試用就漸漸的建立起口碑，慢慢達到今天的規模
Under Armour的總裁兼CEO Kevin Plank曾講過：Under Armour凈利潤連續10多個季度以 20%+的速度增長，其成功秘訣是我們一直致力於滿足用戶需求並帶來新品和創新技術。自從其首家店舖在公司家鄉Baltimore于2013年2月開業後，隨即就不斷推出了其各種創新產品，如早期的Armour 39數字化運動監控系統，可以植入女性慢跑胸衣，用於跟蹤心跳、卡路裏消耗和運動強度，之後推出了反響熱烈的紅外保溫科技ColdGear Infrared，導熱材質面料和Speedform跑鞋技術等;在美國國內取得快速發展後，第一家店舖開業後Under Armour的全球化戰略啟動，並開始了線上線下包括移動端的快速發展，其中包括Under Armour迅速擴張的線下零售店，電商網站以及收購著名移動端應用MapMyFitness，全方位滿足消費者體驗。
Under Armour surpasses Adidas to become No. 2 sports brand
Baltimore-based company has been taking market share from German rivalUnder Armour has overtaken Adidas this year in combined apparel and footwear sales to become the second biggest sports brand in the United States.
Baltimore-based Under Armour had U.S. apparel and footwear sales of $1.2 billion through the end of August, edging ahead of Adidas with $1.1 billion total U.S. sales, according to a Sterne Agee report citing sales figures from SportScanInfo. Under Armour sales have jumped 20 percent this year, while Adidas combined sales have plummeted 23 percent.
Market leader Nike, with 46 percent of the athletic footwear market and a third of the sports apparel sales, far outpaces its competitors with a combined $8.9 billion sales so far this year.
Under Armour has been stealing market share in apparel sales for months from its older German rival and from Nike, according to Sterne Agee.
Under Armour's sports apparel sales, which account for 14 percent of the U.S. market, expanded to more than twice those of Adidas. Adidas, with a six percent share of the apparel market, continues to rank third as a footwear brand behind Nike and Jordan, with more than double Under Armour's fledgling, but growing, footwear sales.
"Under Armour and Nike are constantly dissatisfied, and Adidas hasn't had the same sense of urgency," said Sam Poser, a managing director and research analyst with Sterne Agee. "Adidas sometimes sits back on their laurels too much and the other folks pass them by. What we're seeing now is an example of that."
The year-to-date report reflects a trend of Under Armour's apparel sales growing while Adidas' decline, eating away at Adidas market share. In February for instance, Under Armour's apparel sales were nearly triple those of Adidas. The German company said in a quarterly earnings report last month that its sales grew in all regions in the first half of the year except in North America, where it had double-digit declines in the United States.
Under Armour CEO and founder Kevin Plank has repeatedly stated the relatively young company's goal of becoming the world's biggest sports brand by targeting the women's sports apparel and footwear markets, expanding its base of Under Armour retail outlets and spreading its brand around the globe, where sales now account for less than 10 percent of revenue. The company anticipates nearly $3 billion in sales this year.
Last week, just days after losing out on a bid to sign NBA star Kevin Durant to a basketball-shoe deal, Under Armour announced the signing of Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen to its lineup of representatives including ballerina Misty Copeland and skier Lindsey Vonn for its biggest-ever, $15 million, ad campaign aimed at women.
Since late last year, the company has become the exclusive supplier to teams at Notre Dame and the U.S. Naval Academy, expanded into Brazil and opened branded stores in China and New York City.
For much of the year, Under Armour has been battling it out with Nike.
Poser said in a May research report that the two brands' apparel sales were continuing to dominate, with Nike capturing sales in mid-tier department stores and Under Armour seeing healthy gains in share through athletic specialty and sporting goods retailers and taking share from the larger Nike from those stores. That month alone, sales jumped 18 percent for Nike and 22 percent for Under Armour while sales declined sharply for Adidas, Russell and Champion.
September 08, 2014|By Lorraine Mirabella, The Baltimore Sun
