Company name | Reebok Limited |
---|---|
Company logo | |
Company type | Subsidiary of Adidas |
Foundation | Bolton, England (1895) |
Company slogan | I Am What I Am |
Location city | Canton, Massachusetts |
Location country | US |
Area served | Worldwide |
Industry | Sports equipment |
Products | Sportswear, Footwear |
Parent | Adidas |
Homepage | http://reebok.com |
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle. In 1890 in Holcombe Brook, a small village 6 miles north east of Bolton, England, Joseph William Foster was making a living producing regular running shoes when he came up with the idea to create a novelty spiked running shoe. After his ideas progressed he joined with his sons, and founded a shoe company named J.W. Foster and Sons in 1895.
In 1960, two of the founder's grandsons Joe and Jeff Foster renamed the company Reebok in England, having found the name in a dictionary won in a race by Joe Foster as a boy; the dictionary was South African edition hence the spelling. The company lived up to the J.W. Foster legacy, manufacturing first-class footwear for customers throughout the UK. In 1979, Paul Fireman, a US sporting goods distributor, saw a pair of Reeboks at an international trade show and negotiated to sell them in North America.
Supplier information, according to the Reebok website as of May 2007:
"Footwear Reebok uses footwear factories in 14 countries. Most factories making Reebok footwear are based in Asia — primarily China (accounting for 51% of total footwear production), Indonesia (21%), Vietnam (17%) and Thailand (7%). Production is consolidated, with 88% of Reebok footwear manufactured in 11 factories, employing over 75,000 workers.
"Apparel Reebok has factories in 45 countries. The process of purchasing products from suppliers is organized by region. Most (52%) of Reebok's apparel sold in the United States is produced in Asia, with the rest coming from countries in the Caribbean, North America, Africa and the Middle East. Apparel sold in Europe is typically sourced from Asia and Europe. Apparel sold in the Asia Pacific region is typically produced by Asian-based manufacturers.
Following the height of the Freestyle success, Reebok also introduced a popular athletic shoe for men, called the Ex-O-Fit. Similar to the Freestyle, it came in low-top and hi-top versions; however, unlike the Freestyle hi-top with two velcro closure straps, the Ex-O-Fit only had one strap. One of the designers of this early footwear was the founder's son, David Foster. .
The company also holds sponsorships with Brazilian clubs Cruzeiro, Internacional, and São Paulo FC; and German club FC Köln for the 2008–09 season. Reebok will stop sponsoring Mexican club C.D. Guadalajara before the Apertura 2011 season. Parent Company Adidas will take over as sponsor.
Reebok is also endorsed by Lewis Hamilton, Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, Carolina Klüft, Amélie Mauresmo, Nicole Vaidišová, Shahar Pe'er, Ivy, Thierry Henry, Vince Young, Iker Casillas, Ryan Giggs, Andriy Shevchenko, and Amir Khan.
In rugby union, Reebok sponsored the Wales national team until late 2008, who won the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Championship in that year, and the Tasman Makos in New Zealand's domestic competition, the Air New Zealand Cup.
In 2006, FC Barcelona and France striker Thierry Henry (then playing for Arsenal) signed a deal to join the "I Am What I Am" campaign on August 1, 2006. Ryan Giggs has also done "I Am What I Am" commercials. Also, on August 1, Andriy Shevchenko started his endorsement deal with the company.
Reebok sponsors four teams in the Australian Football League, those being the Gold Coast Suns, the Melbourne Football Club, the Port Adelaide Football Club and the Richmond Football Club. Reebok sponsors the St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL.
Borussia Mönchengladbach Cagliari Fiorentina Chivas de Guadalajara - (2004-11) Utrecht Sporting Lisbon - (2001-06) Heart of Midlothian Atlético Madrid - (1996-2002) Peñarol Rapids Revolution
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