Corporate

Go to ...
Download press releases and images

HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY, OCTOBER 6, 2022

PUMA SIGNS SUCCESSFUL US MID-DISTANCE RUNNER JENNY SIMPSON

Sports company PUMA has signed Jenny Simpson, one of the most successful US mid-distance runners, as she focuses on road racing and longer distances to inspire the next generation of athletes.

Just one year after she turned pro, Simpson became the World Champion in the 1,500 meter-event in 2011 and won several medals, including an Olympic bronze, in the years that followed.

An 8-time champion at New York’s prestigious 5th Avenue Mile and a frequent guest at the New York City Marathon, Simpson has also become a cherished part of the road racing community, a part of her career she will now prioritize.

“In her long, successful career, Jenny has inspired many up-and-coming athletes,” said Pascal Rolling, Head of Sports Marketing, Running at PUMA. “It is a privilege to take the next steps in her career journey together.”

For her first race at the Army Ten-Miler, Simpson will wear PUMA’s Deviate NITRO Elite road racing shoe, which utilizes the company’s proprietary NITRO Elite Foam to ensure maximum efficiency and propulsion for racing.

“PUMA’s amazing line-up of road racing shoes and their community-driven approach to the sport inspired me,” said Jenny Simpson. “I’m excited to become a part of the PUMA Family!”

Go to ...
DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE AND IMAGES

HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

PUMA HAS SIGNED A DEAL WITH SKEPTA, ANNOUNCING HIM AS ITS NEW GLOBAL AMBASSADOR

Global sports brand PUMA announced a long-term partnership with British-Nigerian grime MC, rapper, and record producer Skepta, who will work with the brand to design product and curate global marketing campaigns.

This is an incredibly hands on role for Chief Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr., best known as Skepta, whose organic talents lie in creating innovation in the arts.

The partnership was struck through Skepta’s Big Smoke Corporation, an organization created
to foster and ignite a community of individuals with talents and bring those talents to brands, forming unique partnerships."This is the first brand partnership deal to come through my new company Big Smoke Corporation and one I am very proud of. Together with PUMA we can put our spin and create a new way of thinking about fashion and style.” Skepta says, “it’s an honour to work with such a globally recognized brand that is both embedded and has a real understanding of youth and popular culture, but also understands the importance of partnerships and collaborations such as this. We look forward to developing and creating new opportunities for the next generation together."

Skepta brings his strong connection with today’s community – he will work with PUMA to bring a new vision to its men’s business, sharing his deep knowledge of culture, music, art, and style. He will be an active voice and figure in PUMA’s progressive space, from design to campaigns and everything in between.

“Skepta is the embodiment of progression, proven by the impact he has created on music, fashion, and culture over the last two decades. We are excited to start this journey with him where he will play a multifaceted role, bringing to life his knowledge and vision, helping us revolutionize our progressive space. We could not be happier to welcome him to our PUMA family, and I am excited to see what we accomplish together,” said Bjoern Gulden, PUMA’s CEO.

In the upcoming months, Skepta will be part of new and exciting projects with PUMA that will revolutionize the industry.

Go to ...
DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE AND IMAGES

HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2022

WORLD AND OLYMPIC 800M CHAMPION EMMANUEL KORIR JOINS PUMA

Sports company PUMA has signed the current 800m World and Olympic Champion Emmanuel Korir, who will compete in the company’s performance products starting at the Diamond League Meeting in Brussels.

The Kenyan athlete rose to fame in 2018, when he came in second at the African Championships in the 800m event and won the Gold in the 4x400m relay. He cemented his position as one of the best middle-distance runners of his generation with the Olympic Gold in Tokyo in 2021 and a Gold at the World Championships in Eugene this year.

His personal best over 800m is 1:42.05 minutes, the 6th fastest performance of all time.

“PUMA has a strong history in running, with world records in the 100, 200 and 1000 meters to its name,” said Pascal Rolling, Head of Sports Marketing. “We are excited that Emmanuel will join our PUMA Family, so we can continue to create great Athletics moments together.”

Korir will wear PUMA’s Evospeed Distance Elite +2 spikes for the Diamond League meeting in Brussels, a mid-distance track and field spike built for events ranging from 800m all the way up to 10,000m. The spikes feature a full-length carbon fibre plate that has been specially designed to stabilise the nitrogen-injected foam midsole, allowing for peak energy transfer.

During training, Korir wears the Deviate NITRO 2, which comes with NITRO Elite foam for improved responsiveness and a reworked collar to reduce heel slip.

PUMA’s elite group of track & field athletes includes 400m hurdles World Record Holder Karsten Warholm, pole vault World Record Holder Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and Jamaican sprinters Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah. Most recently, high jumpers Mutaz Essa Barshim and Woo Sanghyeok also joined the PUMA Family.

Go to ...
DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE AND IMAGES

LONDON, ENGLAND, SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

CONFERENCE OF THE PEOPLE, POWERED BY PUMA PUTS GEN Z VOICES FRONT AND CENTRE

New research from PUMA, which surveyed 6,000 young people aged 18-25 from the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy and Spain has revealed that 94% of them care about the environment. At the same time, however, almost one in five aren’t motivated to help improve sustainability because the focus is always on older generations.

The sports company is addressing this focus with Conference of the People, powered by PUMA. The first of its kind event will centre the voices of Gen Z as the fashion industry comes together to discuss solutions towards more sustainable processes and practises. Live from London, streamed to the world on September 6th.

When asked what they would like to see brands doing more of when it comes to environment and sustainability, taking quicker action came out on top (52%). Making more commitments to change what they’re doing came next (49%), followed by communicating their goals better (40%) and being transparent with customers (34%). Two fifths of them are interested in connecting with brands to actively make the change themselves. It once again became clear that young people want brands to listen to their thoughts and opinions on the climate emergency as well. A quarter (26%) of those surveyed do not feel that there is a platform for their generation’s opinions regarding environmental sustainability. The same amount also said they want brands to create platforms to hear from younger generations.

For its one-day event, happening this month, PUMA has compiled panels that will feature some of the most prominent voices in sustainable fashion along with some famous faces that everyone will recognise, as well as next generation thinkers. Topics for discussion include tackling waste, using more sustainable materials, impacting climate change, and finding ways for the industry to collaborate to achieve results sooner.

Eco-anxiety is also on the rise amongst young people. Over a third (36%) of them admitted to feeling very anxious about global warming and the climate emergency. The number is highest in Italy (66%). The sportswear brand plans to tackle this head on. Actress, model, and activist Cara Delevingne will feature in a conversation on how young people can manage the anxieties they’re facing when it comes to the climate crisis.

Conference of the People, powered by PUMA is a first of its kind event. The aim is to create an environment for PUMA’s industry peers, activists, NGOs, experts, ambassadors, and consumers to come together and discuss solutions for some of the fashion industry’s most pressing sustainability challenges. All whilst amplifying the of voices of young people across the world.

Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer at PUMA says, “With 71% of young people believing that their voices aren’t heard when it comes to environmental sustainability, it’s clear there’s a problem. Gen Z will have to live with climate decisions that are being made today, so we recognise that it’s important that they’re heard in these conversations. My hope is that through Conference of the People, we can give a platform to their voices and create a safe environment for them to collaborate with us, as an industry, on new and better ways of operating.”

To learn more about Conference of the People and to register interest in physical or virtual attendance, users can visit PUMACOP.com and follow @PUMA and [insert local IG if applicable] on social media.

Conference of the People will start on September 6 at 12pm BST (1pm CET, 7 am ET) and the livestream of the event is free to access for all.

Go to ...
DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE AND IMAGES

HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY, AUGUST 26, 2022

PUMA SIGNS MUTAZ ESSA BARSHIM, ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL HIGH JUMPERS OF ALL TIME

Sports company PUMA has signed Qatari athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim, one of the most successful high jumpers of all time, who will wear the company’s performance products starting at the Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne.

With three World Championships and an Olympic Gold to his name, Barshim has already won everything there is to win in his sport. At the World Championships in Eugene this year, he successfully defended his title and showed he is still on top of his game.

“We are so happy to welcome Mutaz to our PUMA Family,” said Pascal Rolling, Head of Sports Marketing. “He is an incredibly talented athlete, and his charm and sportsmanship has done much to promote athletics across the globe.”

Famously, Barshim and Italian PUMA athlete Gianmarco Tamberi decided to share the Gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo after jumping the same height, creating memorable moments of fairness and comradery.

Barshim’s personal best of 2.43 meters is the Asian Record and the second-highest jump of all time.

At PUMA, Barshim is part of a group of world-class athletes such as 400m hurdles World Record Holder Karsten Warholm, pole vault World Record Holder Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and Jamaican sprinters Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah.

Go to ...
DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE AND IMAGES

HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY, 28TH OF JUNE

PUMA FOOTBALL PLAYERS AND ATHLETES NIKITA PARRIS, INGRID ENGEN, FRIDOLINA ROLFÖ AND SARA BJÖRK GUNNARSDOTTIR TALK “SHE MOVES US” AHEAD OF WOMEN’S EURO IN ENGLAND

Football players and PUMA Athletes spoke frankly about the sacrifices and challenges of being a female professional football player in a “She Moves Us” video conversation for Sports company PUMA: “I’ve had to challenge male standards just by being a football player. I think most people in the world see it as a male sport, but for me it’s the same. We do the same. Everything around should be the same as well. So that’s what we’re fighting for and trying to show the world”, says Norwegian National Team Player Ingrid Engen.

English Football Star Nikita Parris was amazed by the changes that are happening with the respect for female professional athletes:” I had to challenge male standards not just on the pitch, but off the pitch, inside the training grounds. And there’s been a lot of diversity in the inequality throughout women’s football. But today, because of the pioneers that have come before us, we continue to fight the good fight.”

Being internationally successful in her profession, Swedish National Team Player Fridolina Rolfö also wanted to inspire other female athletes to believe in themselves: “I am moving for the next generation. To be a role model and be someone who can show the young girls and boys that it’s not impossible to be a professional footballer.”

Only four months after giving birth to her son, Icelandic National Team Player Sara Björk Gunnarsdottir returned to the pitch, not only to return to elite level sport, but also to inspire a generation of female athletes to not give up on their dreams. Her main advice is to take “whatever happens in your career and what you go through, as a lesson. Because that’s the only way you can grow. You can move forward. Be confident in your body. If you really want to do both, you can.”

“She Moves Us” wants to empower girls and young women through sharing stories and joint efforts to impact their rights globally. It is inspired by global popstar and PUMA Ambassador Dua Lipa who said: "Sharing stories of success is all part of changing the narrative, especially in fields like sports and entertainment that have tended to amplify the accomplishments of men. Women are already nailing it across the board and celebrating their achievements is exciting and empowering. It also encourages those rising up to aim for the stars.”

PUMA has an inclusive product offering to cater for women and girls in sport: underwear and activewear, modest sportswear, a maternity offering, and performance specific products exclusively engineered for women. PUMA supports all athletes to perform at the highest level and works with organizations and partners committed to remove barriers in sports.

For the Nikita Parris “She Moves Us” video interview, please click HERE.

For the Ingrid Engen “She Moves Us” video interview, please click HERE.

For the Fridolina Rolfö “She Moves Us” video interview, please click HERE.

For the Sara Björk Gunnarsdottir “She Moves Us” video interview, please click HERE.

Go to ...
DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE AND IMAGES

HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY, MARCH 1, 2021

SHE MOVES US - DUA LIPA AND PUMA BRAND AMBASSADORS CELEBRATE WOMEN WHO MOVE THE WORLD

Sports company PUMA has brought together its top female brand ambassadors to celebrate the women who have moved culture and sports forward and to inspire other women around the world.

Led by global pop superstar Dua Lipa, PUMA will generate inspiring content over the course of 2021, such as talks, videos and interviews with its female ambassadors, guided by the theme “She Moves Us”.

"Sharing stories of success is all part of changing the narrative, especially in fields like sports and entertainment that have tended to amplify the accomplishments of men,” said Dua Lipa. “Women are already nailing it across the board and celebrating their achievements is exciting and empowering. It also encourages those rising up to aim for the stars. That’s why I’m so grateful to PUMA for including me in their She Moves Us campaign. Now let’s show the world what we are capable of!”

Supermodel Winnie Harlow and actress, model and activist Cara Delevingne will also participate in the “She Moves Us” campaign. They will be joined by numerous PUMA athletes such as WNBA star Skylar Diggins-Smith, golfer Lexi Thompson, footballer Nikita Parris and high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh.

“She Moves Us” will tell the story of how our female ambassadors were inspired to become who they are today, the women who helped them, how they overcame challenges in their personal lives and careers and how they made it to the top in their respective fields.

By connecting its ambassadors with female consumers around the world on its social media platforms, PUMA will also create a global network which will spark a conversation around issues important to girls and women.

“She Moves Us” will empower girls and young women through PUMA’s partnership with Women Win, a global women’s fund which uses sport to advance gender equality from the bottom up. PUMA will use its communications channels to spotlight the joint efforts to impact girls and women’s rights globally.

Go to ...
DOWNLOAD PRESS MATERIALS HERE

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 2, 2021

SOCIAL MEDIA STAR AND MUSIC ARTIST, DIXIE D'AMELIO JOINS THE PUMA FAMILY

Global sports brand PUMA is thrilled to welcome social media star and music artist, Dixie D’Amelio as the brand’s newest women’s ambassador.

Dixie will be featured globally in various campaigns including PUMA’s latest women’s platform “She Moves Us,” which celebrates women who move together to achieve and connect through fashion, community and sport.

“I am so excited to join the PUMA Family,” said Dixie D’Amelio. “Sports, fashion and music are a major part of my life and who I am, so I am beyond thrilled to be working alongside a brand where all three of these things meet.”

Dixie, who rose to fame on TikTok is one of the top 10 most followed creators on the social media platform. With more than 90 million followers combined, Dixie was named one of YouTube’s Top 10 Breakout Creators of 2020 and has one of the fastest growing YouTube channels globally. Dixie has recently started a career in music, her first single was streamed more than 300 million times and garnered close to 20 million views and she recently released her newest single “Psycho.”

Dixie is working on many exciting projects with PUMA, including a collection of her own set to release in 2022 across Foot Locker, Inc. family of brands and PUMA.com.

Dixie officially announced her new partnership with PUMA on her IG account, where she sported the new Fierce 2 sneakers. The Fierce 2 can be found on PUMA.com, PUMA stores and select retailers worldwide.

Go to ...
DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE AND IMAGES

HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY, MAY 05, 2021

PUMA APPOINTS HUBERT HINTERSEHER AND ARNE FREUNDT AS NEW MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT

Sports company PUMA has appointed Hubert Hinterseher as its new Chief Financial Officer and Arne Freundt as its new Chief Commercial Officer starting June 1.

Hubert, 42, has been with PUMA for 16 years, most recently as the Global Director of Financial Controlling. As CFO, he will be responsible for Finance, Legal, IT and Business Solutions. Hubert will take over from Michael Lämmermann, 59, who has decided to retire after 28 years with PUMA and eight years as CFO. Michael will stay on as an adviser until the end of the year to guarantee a smooth transition.

Arne, 41, will take on the role of Chief Commercial Officer, where he will be in charge of Sales, including Retail & eCommerce, and Logistics. Arne has been with PUMA for 10 years, most recently as the Regional General Manager EMEA.

‘I’m very proud that we were able to fill these important Board positions with internal candidates and guarantee a smooth transition,” said PUMA Chief Executive Officer Bjørn Gulden. “I want to thank Michael for his outstanding contribution to our company over the past decades and I wish Hubert and Arne all the best in their new roles.”

Chief Sourcing Officer Anne-Laure Descours will continue to be responsible for Sourcing and Development while CEO Bjørn Gulden will continue to be in charge of Product and Marketing.

HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY – OCTOBER 4, 2021

PUMA TEAMS UP WITH SARA BJÖRK GUNNARSDÓTTIR TO GIVE UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS TO SARA’S JOURNEY FROM PREGNANCY BACK TO ELITE LEVEL SPORT

PUMA has teamed up with PUMA athlete, Olympique Lyonnais football star and Iceland national team captain Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir to launch authentic content chartering Sara’s pregnancy journey through to her return to elite level sport. As part of PUMA’s ‘She Moves Us’ platform the various content streams will culminate with the release of a special documentary early next year following Sara’s story.

Before and after Sara gives birth, PUMA social channels will chronical Sara’s life during and after her pregnancy, her training regimes and offer a glimpse into her life as a mother as she balances family life with her professional career. The content and documentary will offer unprecedented, never-before-seen access into the life of a professional female athlete as she faces the challenge of returning to elite level sport after giving birth. Sara will give insight into her journey, training schedules whilst pregnant, advice and expert guidance from professionals on her body changes through the process and her recovery post-pregnancy.

Many female athletes encounter challenges and uncertainty over their careers when faced with the prospect of pregnancy. Female athletes are faced with difficult decisions with many having to retire early to start a family due to lack of support, eligibility to play and maternity pay. “Starting a family when playing a professional sport is difficult. I really want to prove that you can come back from pregnancy and play at the top level,” said Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir. “I hope to inspire women to do so and to show that there is the option of not choosing between having your family or your professional career.”

“Female athletes face many challenges in their careers and pregnancy can be one of them,” said Matthias Baeumer, General Manager BU Teamsport. “When Sara came to us with the news of her pregnancy, we wanted to support her in any way possible. Sara decided this would be a great opportunity to give insight into her journey and show female athletes that you can be a top athlete and still have a family. We are thrilled that Sara has asked us to be involved in the process and that she is sharing her experiences as she hopes to inspire female athletes around the world.”

Don’t forget to catch the content that launches every month on PUMA Football’s Instagram and Twitter channels beginning October 4th, 2021, with the full documentary launching early in 2022 on PUMA’s YouTube channel.

Go to ...
DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE AND IMAGES

HERZOGENAURACH, TUESDAY 1 AUGUST, 2023

PUMA CONCLUDES SEASON ONE OF INDUSTRY-FIRST SUSTAINABILITY REPORT PODCAST SERIES

The final episode of PUMA’s RE:GEN REPORTS is now available to stream: ‘When it comes to Health and Safety, does the West know best?’. In this episode, hosted by the Head of Knowledge Exchange at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, Monica Buchan-Ng, PUMA’s Chief Sourcing Officer, Anne-Laure Descours, reminds audiences that it’s important for people in the North to “recognize how much people on the ground are trying to improve [factory working conditions].”

The podcast series aims to make PUMA’s 2022 Sustainability Report more accessible to a wider and younger audience. This came after research conducted last year which found that young people want brands to be more transparent with consumers when it comes to the environment and sustainability (34%) and to communicate their goals better (40%).

In 2022 PUMA hosted Conference of the People, where Gen Z representatives, PUMA’s industry peers, activists, NGOs, experts, ambassadors, and consumers met to discuss some of the fashion industry’s sustainability challenges. The conference also highlighted the need for PUMA to improve on how it was communicating sustainability goals, actions, and progress.

RE:GEN REPORTS is hosted by 10 next-generation thinkers from six countries, distilling the content of the brand’s sustainability report into 10 episodes. Each host was tasked with breaking down the complex topics into digestible pieces. Focusing on PUMA’s sustainability strategy FOREVER.BETTER. 10FOR25 sustainability targets, the podcasts were created to eliminate barriers of traditional sustainability language, explaining why the specific targets were a focus for the business. Episodes discuss progress that has been made, whilst acknowledging areas where there is still work to be done.

From a 147-page report and over thirty hours of recording came this 163-minute series of clear and relatable sustainability information. As well as the final episode on health and safety, young people guided audiences through episodes about: human rights, hosted by Award-winning activist, model, and social entrepreneur Anya Dillard from the USA; chemicals, hosted by sustainable and healthy living vlogger Luke Jaque-Rodney from Germany; circularity, hosted by USA-based upcycler Andrew Burgess; fair wages, hosted by Fair Labor Association student committee member Amina Shakeel; climate action, hosted by Earthero Project co-founder Bertha Shum from Hong Kong; biodiversity hosted by India based environmental activist Ripudaman Bevli; plastic & oceans, hosted by Singapore sustainable bag company Peco Bag founder Yumika Hoskin; product, hosted by intersectional environmentalist Diandra Marizet from the US and water and air, hosted by Malaysian based eco-conscious Earth Day Ambassador Melissa Tan .

As well as PUMA spokespeople, the young hosts also interviewed representatives from industry bodies, businesses, and NGOs in discussions around the implementation and monitoring of more sustainable practices. Guests included Fair Labor Association’s Chief of Staff, Shelly Han; UNFCCC’s Sector’s Engagement in Climate Action Lead, Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu; Canopy’s Founder and Executive Director, Nicole Rycroft; ZDHC Implementation Director, Klass Nuttbohm; Apparel Impact Institute’s Chief Impact Officer, Kurt Kipka; and Leather Working Group’s Traceability Manager, Vanessa Brain.

“Transparency is critical to our sustainability strategy at PUMA,” says Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer at PUMA. “We are committed to improving our practices and equally acknowledging where there is still a way for us to go. We invited these next generation thinkers to interview us and our partners on our FOREVER.BETTER. sustainability strategy 10FOR25 targets to push us to be better, to do better, and get into the detail in a way that more people can access and understand. It’s easy to hide areas where you’re not making progress as quickly as you’d like, but change requires collaboration and openness and with RE:GEN REPORTS we have and will continue to welcome both of those things.”

PUMA’s sustainability efforts have been recognized several times. In 2022, the brand topped the Business of Fashion sustainability ranking, the platform on living wage financials ranking, and the FTSE4Good ranking within its sectors. It was included in the Corporate Knights global top 100 most sustainable companies ranking, maintained its triple-A ranking with MSCI and its prime status with ISS; two leading sustainability rating agencies. Reuters also ranked it as number two within its sector and, in S&P sustainability benchmarking, PUMA outperformed all other sports brands for the first time since 2010. Although these rankings help confirm that PUMA is headed in the right direction with its FOREVER.BETTER. sustainability strategy, the brand recognizes that it still has a long way to go. PUMA’s full 2022 Sustainability Report can be accessed here.

Go to ...
Download press releases and images

HERZOGENAURACH, WEDNESDAY 26 JULY, 2023

PUMA WELL ON TRACK TO ACHIEVE FULL-YEAR OUTLOOK AFTER Q2

2023 Second Quarter Facts

• Sales increase to € 2,121 million (+11.1% currency-adjusted (ca) / +5.9% reported / Q2 2022: € 2,002 million), driven by strong growth in EMEA and APAC, including Greater China

• Gross profit margin declines to 44.8% (Q2 2022: 46.5%), mainly due to currencies, sourcing costs and promotions

• Operating expenses (OPEX) increase by 6.6% to € 843 million (Q2 2022: € 791 million), mainly due to DTC growth and higher marketing expenses

• Operating result (EBIT) declines by 21.2% to € 115 million (Q2 2022: € 146 million), resulting in an EBIT margin of 5.4% (Q2 2022: 7.3%), mainly due to lower gross profit margin

• Net income down by 34.7% to € 55 million (Q2 2022: € 84 million)

• Inventory up 8.1% to € 2,146 million (June 30, 2022: € 1,984 million); back to normalized levels

Product, Marketing & Other Highlights

• PUMA team Manchester City wins the Champions League and completes the treble

• PUMA signs Xavi Simons, one of Europe’s most exciting footballers

• PUMA signs Julien Alfred, one of the greatest up-and-coming 100 m runners

• PUMA golfer Rickie Fowler wins his sixth PGA Tour title

• PUMA signs landmark deal with Formula 1

• PUMA and NBA star LaMelo Ball launch their first European tour as part of the MELO FASTER TOUR

• PUMA and New York streetwear brand Noah unveil the first collection of their multiseasonal collaboration

• PUMA sees strong demand for its first drops of the terrace sneakers Palermo and Super Team

• 7 out of 10 PUMA products were made from better materials in 2022

• In line with its strategic priorities, PUMA nominates Richard Teyssier as Global Brand & Marketing Director and Shirley Li as General Manager China

• PUMA extends contract of CFO Hubert Hinterseher until end of 2027

Arne Freundt, Chief Executive Officer of PUMA SE:

“On the back of our Q2 results, we are perfectly on track to achieve our full-year outlook in the transition year 2023. PUMA continued to grow by double-digits, demonstrating continued strong brand momentum, despite the volatile environment. As the best partner for Wholesale, we worked together with our retailers through elevated inventory levels in the market and successfully normalized our own inventory levels as planned.

Our strategic priorities Brand Elevation, winning in the U.S. and China are key for PUMA’s future growth trajectory. We are making good progress on all levels and with the announcement of new leaderships for Global Marketing and Mainland China, we have put the required organizational foundation in place.

Moreover, I’m especially proud to welcome Xavi Simons, who is one of Europe’s most exciting footballers, and Julien Alfred, one of the greatest up-and-coming 100 m runners with chances for World Championship gold medal, to our PUMA Family.”

Second Quarter 2023

Sales increased by 11.1% (ca) to € 2,120.7 million (+5.9% reported). The EMEA region recorded strong sales growth of 25.0% (ca) to € 846.0 million, which was driven by strong performance in EEMEA. The Asia/Pacific region grew by 24.4% (ca) to € 413.3 million, supported by a continued trend of recovery in Greater China after the market reopened. Sales in the Americas region were at € 861.5 million (-4.4% ca) due to ongoing softness in North America, while Latin America continued to show strong growth. The decline in North America was related to macroeconomic headwinds and PUMA’s relative dependency on the off-price Wholesale business which will be strategically contained going forward. In an overall soft North American market, PUMA continued to grow its Performance categories and DTC business. The PUMA Group benefited from the geographic diversification of its business as strong growth in other regions more than offset the decline in North America.

PUMA’s Wholesale business increased by 6.9% (ca) to € 1,605.3 million. This is fully in line with the objective of being the best partner for retailers while working with them to manage elevated inventory levels. Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) business was up by 26.5% (ca) to € 515.4 million. Sales in owned & operated retail stores increased 30.4% (ca) and e-commerce was up 19.1% (ca). The strong growth in DTC was primarily driven by continued brand momentum and improved product availability. This resulted in an increased DTC share of 24.3% (Q2 2022: 21.9%).

Sales in Footwear were up 18.2% (ca), driven by continued strong demand for our Football, Basketball and Performance Running categories as well as for Sportstyle. Sales in Apparel grew by 4.2% (ca) and Accessories were up by 3.3% (ca).

The gross profit margin decreased by 170 basis points to 44.8% (Q2 2022: 46.5%). Currency effects were a stronger headwind in the second quarter. Other factors such as sourcing and freight costs as well as promotional activity continued to weigh, while price adjustments and a positive impact from geographical and distribution channel mix were beneficial.

Operating expenses (OPEX) increased by 6.6% to € 843.4 million (Q2 2022: € 791.2 million). The moderate increase in operating expenses was driven by the growth of our DTC channel, higher marketing expenses and sales-related costs, while other cost areas provided operating leverage. As a result, the OPEX ratio increased by 20 basis points to 39.8% (Q2 2022: 39.5%).

The operating result (EBIT) decreased by 21.2% to € 115.3 million (Q2 2022: € 146.3 million), mainly due to an unfavorable gross profit margin. This resulted in an EBIT margin of 5.4% (Q2 2022: 7.3%).

Consequently, net income decreased by 34.7% to € 55.0 million (Q2 2022: € 84.3 million) and earnings per share amounted to € 0.37 (Q2 2022: € 0.56).

First Half Year 2023

Sales increased by 12.7% (ca) to € 4,308.3 million (+10.1% reported). The Asia/Pacific region led the growth with a sales increase of 26.0% (ca), followed by the EMEA region with a sales increase of 25.2% (ca). Sales in the Americas region declined 2.7% (ca) due to macroeconomic headwinds, high inventory levels in the trade and PUMA’s relative dependency on the off-price Wholesale business in the U.S..

The Wholesale business was up 9.6% (ca) to € 3,327.4 million and the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) business increased by 24.6% (ca) to € 980.9 million. Sales in owned & operated retail stores increased 24.0% (ca) and e-commerce increased 25.6% (ca). This resulted in an increased DTC share of 22.8% (H1 2022: 21.0%).

Footwear continued to lead the growth with 23.5% (ca), while Apparel and Accessories grew modestly and were up 2.9% (ca) and 0.8% (ca) respectively.

The gross profit margin decreased by 120 basis points to 45.7% (H1 2022: 46.8%). Unfavorable currency effects, higher sourcing and freight costs as well as industry-wide promotional activity had a negative impact on the gross profit margin. However, the negative effects were partially offset by price adjustments, a favorable geographical and distribution channel mix.

Operating expenses (OPEX) increased by 12.5% to € 1,691.7 million (H1 2022: € 1,504.1 million). The increase was driven by sales-related distribution and other variable costs, the growth of our DTC channel and higher marketing expenses, while other cost areas provided operating leverage. As a consequence, the OPEX ratio increased by 80 basis points to 39.3% (H1 2022: 38.4%).

The operating result (EBIT) decreased by 15.0% to € 290.9 million (H1 2022: € 342.4 million) due to an unfavorable gross profit margin and higher operating expenses, which resulted in an EBIT margin of 6.8% (H1 2022: 8.7%). This is line with expectations that our gross profit margin and profitability will be under more pressure in the first half of the year than in the second half.

Consequently, net income decreased by 16.2% to € 172.3 million (H1 2022: € 205.6 million) and the earnings per share amounted to € 1.15 (H1 2022: € 1.37).

Working Capital

The working capital increased by 58.6% to € 1,693.0 million (June 30, 2022: € 1,067.4 million). Inventories were up by 8.1% to € 2,145.9 million (June 30, 2022: € 1,984.4 million). PUMA achieved its objective to normalize its inventory levels by mid-year. Trade receivables increased by 13.3% to € 1,348.4 million (June 30, 2022: € 1,189.8 million). On the liabilities side, trade payables decreased by 12.1% to € 1,457.3 million (June 30, 2022: € 1,657.1 million).

Cash Flow and Liquidity Situation

The free cash flow was at € -341.4 million in the first half of 2023 (H1 2022: € 38.6 million). As of June 30, 2023, PUMA had cash and cash equivalents of € 307.9 million (June 30, 2022: € 498.4 million). The decrease of 38.2% compared to last year is mainly related to cash outflows for working capital. In addition, the PUMA Group had available credit lines totalling € 1,592.5 million as of June 30, 2023 (June 30, 2022: € 1,276.9 million). The increase of credit lines is due to the issuance of promissory note loans totalling € 300.0 million in the second quarter of 2023. Unutilized credit lines amounted to € 846.0 million as of June 30, 2023 (June 30, 2022: € 923.6 million).

Brand & Strategy Update

In 2023, PUMA celebrates its 75th anniversary as a company and its proud history alongside the world’s fastest athletes, pushing sports and culture forward.

PUMA started the year by further refining its strategic priorities, which will guide the business going forward. The core of the strategy remains unchanged: to elevate the PUMA brand, enhance our product excellence and improve the quality of our distribution. This is based on three foundational pillars of focussing on people first, evolving sustainability and digitalizing our infrastructure. Within that strategic framework, we defined three top strategic priorities for PUMA’s future growth trajectory: brand elevation, winning in the U.S. and rebounding strongly in China

New versions of ULTRA, FUTURE and KING football boots

In the first half of 2023, we launched new versions of our successful football boots ULTRA and FUTURE and re-launched our legendary boot KING as a third silo to broaden our offering in the light of our strong market share gains. Each football boot has a very clear proposition to our consumers and is endorsed by best-in-class players to underline its credibility. With the signings of Jack Grealish and Xavi Simons, we have further strengthened our ambassador rosters for our FUTURE and KING boot.

PUMA teams among the best in football around the world

With Jack Grealish in the starting lineup, PUMA team Manchester City won the treble for the first time in its history: the UEFA Champions League, the Premier League and the FA CUP, showcasing that it’s currently the best football team.

Also our other PUMA teams were among the best in their countries: In Germany, Borussia Dortmund was a close runner up in the Bundesliga, in France, RC Lens and Olympique de Marseille finished second and third in Ligue 1, and in the Netherlands, PSV Eindhoven once again won the KNVB Cup.

At the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina, the young talents of PUMA team Uruguay became world champions. At the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which started this month, around 90 players are wearing our football boots. After two years of research, we are proud to offer all our boots in women’s specific fits with a lower volume in the midfoot and a smaller instep compared to our unisex sizes. The fact that more than 90% of our professional female players choose our boots in women’s specific fits shows us that there is a real demand for these products.

PUMA further establishes NITRO™ technology for excellence in Running

In our Running category, we continued to focus on establishing our NITRO™ foam technology in the market. Our NITRO™ foam is one of the best foams in the industry and maximizes responsiveness and cushioning while being extremely lightweight. Our NITRO™ foam technology is at the core of our award-winning Running styles DEVIATE, VELOCITY and the latest addition FOREVERRUN. We continue to see strong market share gains in this category and further underlined our credibility in this field with signings of new ambassdors: European 5,000 m Champion Konstanze Klosterhalfen, marathon legend Edna Kiplagat and European marathon Champion Aleksandra Lisowska.

PUMA athletes dominate in track and field

In Track & Field,PUMA demonstrated its dominant position by celebrating 17 medals at European Indoor Championship in Istanbul and great performances throughout the year, including a pole vault world record by Armand “Mondo” Duplantis at the indoor event in Clermont-Ferrand. With Marcell Jacobs, current Olympic 100 m Champion, and Julien Alfred, current NCAA 100m Champion, PUMA further reinforced its strong ambassador roster ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

At the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, PUMA athletes took 13 medals, with Cuban sprinter Omara Durand adding to her status as one of the most successful para athletes of her generation with 3 gold medals.

PUMA Golf athletes win big

In Golf, PUMA ambassador Rickie Fowler captured his sixth PGA Tour victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, while Patricia Isabel Schmidt secured her maiden European Tour win at the Belgian Ladies Open.

PUMA signs landmark deal with Formula 1

In Motorsport, we added to our exceptional line up of partnerships by signing a landmark deal with Formula 1 to become the official supplier at F1 races and securing the rights to produce F1 branded apparel, footwear and accessories. As part of this agreement, our subsidiary stichd will exclusively sell F1 fanwear and products of all ten teams around the race circuit. Through our partnerships in F1, PUMA strongly benefits from the surging popularity of the sport, especially in the United States, which hosts two of the hottest races of the F1 season in Miami and Las Vegas.

PUMA further builds on success with LaMelo Ball

To win in the important US market, our Basketball business plays a crucial role in our strategy. Together with PUMA ambassador LaMelo Ball, we launched his successful signature shoe MB.02 in a version inspired by the popular cartoon Rick and Morty. We teamed up with NBA rookie and the 3rd NBA Draft Pick Scoot Henderson to present the new All-Pro NITRO™, PUMA’s newest Basketball silhouette which features our NITRO™ foam technology. And for Breanna Stewart, our WNBA ambassador, we introduced the Stewie 2 Earth, the latest edition of her signature Basketball shoe.

To capture the popularity of Basketball outside of North America, we organized the “Melo Faster Tour” around Europe, connecting LaMelo Ball with his European fans at events in Berlin, London, Milan and Paris.

Rihanna is back!

Away from the pitches, courts and tracks, we announced the return of global superstar Rihanna, one of our most successful partners ever, as a brand ambassador. Over the course of three years starting in 2015, we launched several best-selling products with her, including the Footwear News Shoe of the Year 2016, the PUMA Creeper. PUMA’s new agreement with Rihanna is a multi-year partnership, in which she will co-create new collections with us, with a special focus on unisex and kids ranges. The first Fenty x PUMA product will drop in the market in September this year and showcase Rihanna’s point of view on the terrace trend.

PUMA captures the terrace trend with successful new models

Speaking to the emerging terrace trend, we reintroduced our classics Palermo OG and Super Team OG to the market and saw a strong demand for the first drops. These low-top styles were a popular fashion item on the terraces of football stadiums of the 1980s and are part of PUMA’s line-up this year to capture the increasing popularity of this trend. With our CA Pro and Slipstream, we continued to have strong propositions for the ongoing demand for white court shoes, with our RS-X we further built on our strong Progressive Running offer and with Mayze we continued to excite our female consumers.

Throughout the year, we worked together with inspirational brands such as Noah, Koché, Juun.J, Liberty, Rhuigi, PLEASURES and JJJJound to create sought-after Sportstyle collections which created great hype moments in the market.

PUMA named global Top Employer in 2023

Putting our people first is an important part of our corporate strategy and we were thrilled to be named a global Top Employer in 2023. We received this award, which follows a comprehensive survey by the Top Employers Institute, for the first time in North America and Latin America and once more in Europe and Asia Pacific.

This was closely followed by our announcement that PUMA closed the adjusted pay gap between women and men among its employees in Germany. FPI Fair Pay Innovation Lab, which independently certified the results, made PUMA only the second company in Germany to receive the title “Universal Fair Pay Developer”, which is given to companies that can show an adjusted gender pay gap of between +1 and -1%.

Building on our People First strategy, we were able to fill key positions with strong internal talents. In line with our strategic priorities to further elevate the brand and rebound strongly in China, we nominated Richard Teyssier as Global Brand & Marketing Director and Shirley Li as General Manager China.

Contract of PUMA CFO Hubert Hinterseher extended

The Supervisory Board of PUMA SE has extended the contract of Hubert Hinterseher as Chief Financial Officer until end of 2027. Hubert Hinterseher has been member of the Management Board and CFO of PUMA SE since June 2021.

PUMA improves global distribution quality

To constantly improve our global distribution quality, we worked closely with our Wholesale partners to give them the best possible service and make our products stand out in a multibrand environment. While we continue to prioritize our wholesalers, our Direct-to-Consumer offering complements our distribution strategy. We opened new PUMA stores in Bangkok, Beijing and Mexico City, while rolling out our PUMA App in Oceania. In China, we introduced a new store format, which was developed by a local agency to fit the needs of Chinese consumers.

PUMA makes 7 out of 10 products with better materials

In Sustainability, we announced the achievement of another milestone in April 2023: 7 out of 10 products were produced from better materials in 2022, such as cotton and viscose from certified sources or recycled polyester. Our legendary football boot PUMA KING is now produced without using animal leather, making PUMA the first major sports company to no longer source kangaroo leather for its products. Our better materials have a smaller environmental footprint in terms of CO2 emissions and allow us to improve our environmental impact across our product range. We expect to make 9 out of 10 products from better materials by 2025.

PUMA puts future generations at the centre of its sustainability strategy

As the sustainable choices we make today will impact future generations, we started our “Voices of a RE:GENERATION” initiative. The Voices, who are GEN-Z activists and environmentalists, will join us for a year to regularly give our senior management feedback on how PUMA can further strengthen its sustainability initiatives. They will also help us communicate our sustainability efforts to young audiences. As part of this effort to be more transparent and to make the information more accessible, we launched the sustainability section of our annual report as a podcast series.

Outlook 2023

In the first half of the year, PUMA continued to build its brand momentum, launching exciting products and strengthening its partnerships along the value chain with athletes, retailers and suppliers. PUMA continued to benefit from the strong geographical diversification of its business as strong growth in key markets such as Greater China offset a decline in North America. The sustained demand for PUMA products, supported by operational agility, resulted in a normalization of PUMA’s inventory levels, as expected.

At the same time, the macroeconomic environment and volatile retail demand remain challenging, particularly in North America and Europe, as recession risks weigh on consumer sentiment. In addition, the pattern of China’s economic recovery after COVID-19 remains uncertain.

In the context of above mentioned conditions and taking into consideration PUMA's strong sales growth in the first half of the year as well as the continued brand momentum, we confirm currency-adjusted sales growth in the high single-digit percentage range for the financial year 2023. In line with the previous outlook for 2023, PUMA expects an operating result (EBIT) in the range of € 590 million to € 670 million (2022: € 641 million) and a respective change in net income. PUMA continues to expect an improved profitability towards the end of the year, mainly driven by a sequential improvement in the gross profit margin due to lower sourcing and freight costs.

If our business continues to develop favorably in the third quarter of 2023, PUMA will be able to adjust its outlook for 2023. As in previous years, PUMA will continue to focus on overcoming short-term challenges without compromising the brand’s mid- and long-term momentum, prioritizing sales growth and market share gains over short-term profitability.