July 26, 2021
| Today's news and insights for retail leaders
Note from the editor
In April, when I messaged Reebok's founder, Joe Foster, on LinkedIn — I wasn't expecting much. At most, I imagined he would respond to me saying he wasn't interested in chatting. Instead, I found an eager conversationalist who was more than happy to talk about the company he founded in 1958.
From there, my story only grew. Soon I had also talked to Paul Fireman, Reebok's long-time CEO and owner, and Paul Litchfield, perhaps best known for his role in developing The Pump basketball shoe.
I'll confess that I knew very little about Reebok before doing this story, other than that it was one of the key brands under Adidas. I didn't remember much about the company, and I wasn't alive in the '80s when it had its heyday. I was shocked when I heard Reebok had once been bigger than Nike, given how dominant Nike has become over the years. The rest of the history was just as fascinating to me, especially as Reebok is on the verge of being sold by Adidas.
Today, we're debuting my profile on Reebok, which takes a long (really long) look at the brand's history, through some of the people that were there. The whole story will be available right here starting today, but we'll also be pointing out a new chapter every day throughout the week. We hope you find the company's extensive history as fascinating as we did. And as always, let us know what you think.
Cara Salpini
Senior Editor, Retail Dive
Email | Twitter
Deep Dive
In the '80s, Reebok was the top sports brand for a time. Now it's dwarfed by Nike and Adidas. We take a look at the history of the brand, through the lens of the people who were there.
|
After experiencing double-digit growth in 2020, the retailer is aggressively investing in its physical and digital footprints.
|
The Bulgarian company's revenue and powerful software will help the U.S. resale site expand overseas.
|
Savvy retailers are turning to personalization to address the multi-channel demands.
|
UPDATED
Private equity firm Hellman & Friedman completed its acquisition of At Home Group, which valued the retailer at $2.8 billion.
|
Fifty-five percent of consumers surveyed by data firm Numerator said they have changed their shopping behavior over the past month due to price increases.
|
The brand has tapped Samir Desai to oversee the company's technological initiatives in a newly created role.
|
Featured Resources
FROM: Quantum Metric
|
Get ahead with real-time insights before code freeze
|
|
From Our Library
Survey Report
Inmar Intelligence
|
View all resources
What We're Reading
Modern Retail
|
Forbes
|
Women's Wear Daily
|
The New York Times
|
Star Tribune
|
Upcoming Events
July 28, 2021 - July 28, 2021
| Webinar 2pm ET
|
Aug. 10, 2021 - Aug. 10, 2021
| Webinar 2pm ET
|
Dive Into a Topic
|
