Adidas faces uphill climb in the race for US consumers

Herzogenaurach, Germany

A NEW generation of more international Adidas executives is trying to loosen a hierarchical structure that has held back creativity at the German sports brand as it tries to retaliate against Nike.

But that is a tall order for a company of 52,500 employees still based in the small Bavarian town where it was founded in 1949, now struggling to keep pace with the fast-changing whims of the urban teens who are its target clientele. "The whole organisation is run so Germanically and is not fast and agile where everybody is empowered," said Erich Joachimsthaler, head of strategy consultants Vivendi Partners.

As disappointing performance, particularly in the US market, has hammered the share price of late, long-serving chief executive Herbert Hainer has promoted a r…