Recently, there have been reports that Anta Sports may acquire the German sportswear brand Puma. According to French media outlet Challenge, Kering Group, which owns 86% of PUMA, has initiated plans to sell the brand, with Puma currently valued at approximately 6 billion euros.
Reports state that in the 2016 fiscal year, Puma Group achieved total sales of 3.627 billion euros, marking a year-on-year increase of 7.1% and a 10.2% rise at constant exchange rates. The gross margin rose to 45.7%, and net profit saw strong growth of 68.0%, increasing from 37.1 million euros the previous year to 62.4 million euros. The latest 2017 mid-year report shows that the company’s sales for the first half of the fiscal year totaled 1.9738 billion euros, up 17.6% from 1.6784 billion euros during the same period last year. Analysts believe that one possible way for Anta Sports to acquire Puma is through a partnership with private equity investment, while another option would be to acquire only Puma’s China operations.
As a leading enterprise in China’s sports industry, Anta has consistently maintained a performance growth rate of over 20% since 2014. Analysis shows that, thanks to its excellent retail capabilities, supply chain management, and brand strategy, Anta’s main brand has continued to achieve double-digit growth in the mass-function product segment, even as other international brands have increased their presence in China. Meanwhile, its mid-to-high-end brand FILA, leveraging the company’s advantages in channel and supply chain, has maintained an unexpectedly strong growth rate of over 50%, reaching a revenue scale of 2 billion yuan within just six months. Looking ahead, Anta will continue to build a multi-brand portfolio and implement refined brand management and operations, aiming to maintain its dominant position in the Chinese market.