PUMA AG
Encyclopedia
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 multinational company
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...

 that produces high-end athletic shoe
Athletic shoe
Athletic shoe is a generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but in recent years has come to be used for casual everyday activities....

s, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...

. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf
Adolf Dassler
Adolf "Adi" Dassler was the founder of the German sportswear company Adidas....

 and Rudolf Dassler
Rudolf Dassler
Rudolf Dassler was the German founder of the sportswear company PUMA and the older brother of Adidas founder, Adolf "Adi" Dassler. The brothers were partners in a shoe company Adi started, Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik...

, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two agreed to split in 1948, forming two separate entities, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

 and Puma. Puma is currently based in Herzogenaurach
Herzogenaurach
Herzogenaurach is a town in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany. It is probably best known for being the home of the sporting goods companies Adidas and Puma.-Geography:...

, Germany.

The company is known for its football shoes and has sponsored acclaimed footballers, including Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...

, Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...

, Johan Cruijff, Enzo Francescoli
Enzo Francescoli
Enzo Francescoli Uriarte is a former uruguayan football player of Italian and Spanish origin, who retired in 1997. An elegant and highly skillful dribbler, passer, and goal-scorer, Francescoli was nicknamed El Príncipe or Le Prince...

, Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...

, Lothar Matthäus
Lothar Matthäus
Lothar Herbert Matthäus , is a German football manager and former player.In 1990, he was named European Footballer of the Year and World Soccer Player of the Year after captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup...

, Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...

, Didier Deschamps
Didier Deschamps
Didier Claude Deschamps is a retired French footballer and current manager of Marseille. He played as a defensive midfielder. As an international, he assisted France with victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...

, Radamel Falcao
Radamel Falcao
Radamel Falcao García Zárate , commonly known simply as Falcao, is a Colombian football striker who currently plays for Atlético Madrid....

, Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...

 and Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts to be one of most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history...

. Puma is also the sponsor of the Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

n track athlete Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...

. In the United States, the company is probably best known for the suede basketball
Puma Clyde
Puma Clyde is a basketball shoe manufactured by athletic goods company Puma. It was made famous by its endorsement of Walt Frazier. Originally released in 1973, the shoe is significant within the old school hip hop and skate punk subcultures. ....

 shoe it introduced in 1968, which eventually bore the name of New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

 basketball star Walt "Clyde" Frazier
Walt Frazier
Walter "Clyde" Frazier is a retired American basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He was blessed with a unique combination of court vision, quickness, and size for a guard...

, and for its endorsement partnership with Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...

.

Following the split from his brother, Rudolf Dassler originally registered the new-established company as Ruda, but later changed to Puma. Puma's earliest logo consisted of a square and beast jumping through a D, which was registered, along with the company's name, in 1948. Puma's shoe designs feature the distinctive "Formstripe", with clothing and other products having the logo printed on them.

The company also offers lines shoes and sports clothing, designed by Lamine Kouyate, Amy Garbers and others. Since 1996 Puma has intensified its activities in the United States. Puma owns 25% of American brand sports clothing maker Logo Athletic, which is licensed by American professional basketball and association football leagues. Since 2007 Puma SE has been part of the French luxury group PPR
PPR (company)
PPR is a French multinational holding company specializing in retail shops and luxury brands. The company was founded in 1963 by the businessman François Pinault and is now run by his son François-Henri Pinault. It is quoted on Euronext Paris and is a constituent of the CAC 40 index...

.

Background

Christoph von Wilhelm Dassler was a worker in a shoe factory, while his wife Pauline ran a small laundry in the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

n town of Herzogenaurach
Herzogenaurach
Herzogenaurach is a town in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany. It is probably best known for being the home of the sporting goods companies Adidas and Puma.-Geography:...

, 20 km (12.4 mi) from the city of Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...

. Their son Rudolf Dassler
Rudolf Dassler
Rudolf Dassler was the German founder of the sportswear company PUMA and the older brother of Adidas founder, Adolf "Adi" Dassler. The brothers were partners in a shoe company Adi started, Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik...

, after leaving school, joined his father at the shoe factory, and was then called up to fight in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. Upon his return, Rudolf received a management position at a porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...

 factory, and later in a leather wholesale business in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...

.

After tiring of working for others and away from home, Rudolf returned to Herzogenaurach in 1924 to join his younger brother Adolf
Adolf Dassler
Adolf "Adi" Dassler was the founder of the German sportswear company Adidas....

, nicknamed "Adi", who had founded his own shoe factory. They named the new business Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory). The pair started their venture in their mother's laundry, but at the time, electricity supplies in the town were unreliable, and the brothers sometimes had to use pedal power from a stationary bicycle to run their equipment.

By the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...

, Adi Dassler drove from Bavaria on one of the world's first motorways to the Olympic village with a suitcase full of spikes and persuaded United States sprinter Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...

 to use them, the first sponsorship for an African American. After Owens won four gold medals, his success cemented the good reputation of Dassler shoes among the world's most famous sportsmen. Letters from around the world landed on the brothers' desks, and the trainers of other national teams were all interested in their shoes. Business boomed and the Dasslers were selling 200,000 pairs of shoes annually before World War II.

Company split and creation of PUMA

Both brothers joined the Nazi Party, but Rudolf was slightly closer to the party. During the war, a growing rift between the pair reached a breaking point after an Allied bomb attack in 1943 when Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter that Rudolf and his family were already in. "Here are the bloody bastards again," Adi said, apparently referring to the Allied war planes, but Rudolf was convinced his brother meant him and his family. After Rudolf was later picked up by American soldiers and accused of being a member of the Waffen SS, he was convinced that his brother had turned him in.

In 1948, the brothers split their business. Rudolf left the high hill for the other side of the Aurach River to start his own company. It was from this split that Adolf started his own sportswear company with the name he formed using his nickname "Adi" and the first three letters of his last name "Das", to establish Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

. Rudolf created a new firm that he called Ruda – from "Ru" in Rudolf and "Da" in Dassler. Rudolf's company would later change its name to Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler in 1948.

The brothers earlier split led to a divided town. From 1948, the town was similar to a mini-Berlin. Brand loyalty became supreme for residents; several stores, bakeries and bars were unofficially known as either loyal to Rudolf's Puma, or to Adolf's Adidas. Even the town's two football club
Football team
A football team is the collective name given to a group of players selected together in the various team sports known as football.Such teams could be selected to play in an against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-star team or even selected as a...

s were also divided: ASV Herzogenaurach
ASV Herzogenaurach
The ASV Herzogenaurach is a German association football club from the city of Herzogenaurach, Bavaria.The history of the club is strongly interwined with the Sports equipment manufacturer Adidas, then just a local company and sponsor of the ASV and its rivalry to FC Herzogenaurach, which was...

 club supported the three stripes, while 1 FC Herzogenaurach
FC Herzogenaurach
The 1. FC Herzogenaurach is a German association football club from the city of Herzogenaurach, Bavaria.The history of the club is strongly interwined with the Sports equipment manufacturer Puma, then just a local company and sponsor of the FC and its rivalry to ASV Herzogenaurach, which was...

 endorsed Rudolf's footwear. When handymen were called to Rudolf's home, they would wear Adidas shoes deliberately so that when Rudolf would see their footwear, he would tell them to go to the basement and pick out a pair of free Puma shoes. The two brothers never reconciled, and although both are buried in the same cemetery, they are spaced apart as far as possible.

Early years and rivalry with Adidas

Following the split, Puma and Adidas initiated a fierce and bitter rivalry with each other. The enmity split Herzogenaurach
Herzogenaurach
Herzogenaurach is a town in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany. It is probably best known for being the home of the sporting goods companies Adidas and Puma.-Geography:...

 into two, leading to the nickname "the town of bent necks" – people looked down to see which shoes strangers wore.

In 1948, the first football match after World War II, several members of the West German national football team wore Puma boots, including the scorer of West Germany's first post-war goal, Herbert Burdenski
Herbert Burdenski
Herbert "Budde" Burdenski , was a German football player and coach.-Biography:Burdenski began his football career with the Erle 08 in Gelsenkirchen. In 1935 he was discovered playing in the local school championships by Ernst Kuzorra, who signed him to FC Schalke 04...

. Four years later, at the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...

, 1500 metres
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...

 runner Josy Barthel
Josy Barthel
Joseph Barthel was a Luxembourgish athlete. He was the surprise winner of the Men's 1500 metres at the 1952 Summer Olympics, and the only athlete from Luxembourg to have won a gold medal at the Olympics...

 of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

 won Puma's first Olympic gold in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Finland.

At the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...

 Puma paid German sprinter Armin Hary
Armin Hary
Armin Hary is a German athlete. In 1960 he became the first non-American since 1928 to win the Olympic 100 metres.Born in Quierschied, Saarland, after playing football in his youth, Hary switched to sprinting at age 16...

 to wear Pumas in the 100 metres sprint final. Hary had worn Adidas before and asked Adolf for payment, but Adidas rejected this request. The German won gold in Pumas, but then laced up Adidas for the medals ceremony – to the shock of the two Dassler brothers. Hary hoped to cash in from both with the trick, but Adi was so enraged he banned the Olympic champion.

The Pelé pact and subsequent affairs

A few months prior to the 1970 FIFA World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...

, Armin Dassler and his cousin, Horst Dassler
Horst Dassler
Horst Dassler was the son of Adolf "Adi" Dassler, who founded Adidas. Horst Dassler started Adidas France in Landersheim, France, competing against his father's Adidas Germany and his uncle's Puma...

, sealed an agreement which was dubbed "The Pelé pact". This agreement dictated that Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...

 would be out of bounds for both Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

 and Puma. However, Armin found the potential financial and marketing advantage of sponsoring the superstar irresistible. Pelé complied with a request by Puma's representative Hans Henningsen to increase the awareness and profile of the German sports shoe
Athletic shoe
Athletic shoe is a generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but in recent years has come to be used for casual everyday activities....

 company after he received $120,000 to wear the Formstripes. At the opening whistle of a 1970 World Cup finals match, Pelé stopped the referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...

 with a last-second request to tie his shoelaces before kneeling down to give millions of television viewers a close-up of his Pumas. This greatly outraged Horst Dassler and future peace agreements were called off.

Two years later, during the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

, Puma provided running shoes
Athletic shoe
Athletic shoe is a generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but in recent years has come to be used for casual everyday activities....

 for the Uganda 400 metres hurdles
400 metres hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...

 champion, John Akii-Bua
John Akii-Bua
John Akii-Bua was a Ugandan hurdler and the first Olympic champion from his country.Akii-Bua started his athletic career as a hurdler on the short distance, but coached by British-born athletics coach Malcolm Arnold, he was introduced to the 400 m hurdles...

. After Akii-Bua was forced out of Uganda by its military government
Politics of Uganda
Uganda is a presidential republic, in which the President of Uganda is both head of state and head of government; there is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly...

, Puma employed Ake Bua in Germany, and tried to help integrate him and his family in German society, but eventually Akii-Bua returned to Uganda.

In May 1989, Rudolf's sons Armin and Gerd Dassler agreed to sell their 72 percent stake in Puma, to Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 business Cosa Liebermann SA.

Puma became a public company in 1986, and thereafter was listed on the Börse München
Börse München
The Börse München is a stock exchange based in Munich, Germany. Founded in 1830, it currently lists over 6300 securities.-History:The Börse München was officially founded in 1869, but its origins go back to the 1830s, when traders from Munich started meeting regularly to trade securities. It was...

 and Frankfurt Stock Exchange
Frankfurt Stock Exchange
The Frankfurt Stock Exchange is the world's 12th largest stock exchange by market capitalization. Located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is owned and operated by Deutsche Börse, which also owns the European futures exchange Eurex and the clearing company...

.

Present day

Puma AG has approximately 9,500 employees and distributes its products in more than 120 countries. For the fiscal year 2003, the company had a revenue of €1.274 billion. Puma were the commercial sponsors for the 2002 anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series Hungry Heart: Wild Striker
Hungry Heart: Wild Striker
is a Japanese soccer manga and anime series, authored by Captain Tsubasa creator Yōichi Takahashi. The manga series was serialized in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion...

, with the jerseys and clothing sporting the Puma brand. Also, currently Puma ranks as one of the top shoe brands right after Reebok, Adidas and Nike.

The company has been conducted by CEO and Chairman Jochen Zeitz
Jochen Zeitz
Born on April 6, 1963 in Mannheim, Germany, Jochen Zeitz is the CEO of the Sport & Lifestyle Group of PPR and Executive Chairman of PUMA SE after serving 18 years as Chairman and CEO at PUMA....

 since 1993. His contract has been extended ahead of schedule for four more years until 2012 in October 2007.

Japanese fashion guru Mihara Yasuhiro teamed up with Puma to create a high-end and high-concept line of sneakers

Puma is the main producer of enthusiast driving shoes and race suits. They are the prime producer in both Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 and NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 especially. They had also successfully won the rights to sponsor the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

 champions, the Italian national football team
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

, with them making and sponsoring the clothing worn by the team. Their partnership with Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...

 and BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

 to make Puma-Ferrari and Puma-BMW shoes has also contributed to this success. On 15 March 2007, Puma launched its first new 2007/2008 line of uniforms for a club, and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian football club Grêmio
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as just Grêmio , is a Brazilian professional association football team based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul founded by English and German immigrants on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa...

 will be the first to use the laser sewn technology, similar to the one worn by Italy at the 2006 World Cup. Grêmio and other Brazilian clubs will be the first to use the technology because their season starts six months earlier than European clubs. Puma also makes baseball cleats, and Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon
Johnny David Damon is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. From 2000–2008, he was third among active players in runs and seventh in hits and stolen bases . He is currently second among active leaders in triples , five behind Carl Crawford...

, the outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...

, is their spokesperson. He has his own cleat called the "DFR Metals".

Special editions of King model of football boots

In 2008, Puma commemorated the 40th anniversary of the "King" model of boots with a special anniversary edition, the King XL (XL is 40 in Roman Numerals
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...

), a tribute to Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 footballer Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...

, who shot 42 goals with the King model of boots in 1968, winning the Golden Boot Award
European Golden Boot
The European Golden Shoe, formerly known as the European Golden Boot, is an association football award presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league matches from the top division of every European national league...

 as Europe's leading scorer. The King model also was the favourite shoe of players like Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...

, Mario Kempes
Mario Kempes
Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi is a retired Argentine footballer. His father, Mario, also a footballer, inspired him to play from a young age. At the age of 7, he began playing with a junior team and at 14, he joined La Cuarta de Talleres...

, Rudi Völler
Rudi Völler
Rudolf 'Rudi' Völler is a German former international football striker, and a former manager of the German national team...

, Lothar Matthäus
Lothar Matthäus
Lothar Herbert Matthäus , is a German football manager and former player.In 1990, he was named European Footballer of the Year and World Soccer Player of the Year after captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup...

, Massimo Oddo
Massimo Oddo
Massimo Oddo, Ufficiale OMRI, is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Lecce, on loan from Milan. He was part of the Italian squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.-Club career:...

 and Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...

. Puma have continued to release new versions of the King range, and released a version in 2009 to celebrate the history of Italian soccer, and in particular double World Cup winning coach Vittorio Pozzo
Vittorio Pozzo
Vittorio Pozzo 21 December 1968) was an Italian football coach who was most famous for leading the Italian national team to victory in the 1934 FIFA World Cup and 1938 FIFA World Cups; managed the side that won the 1930 and 1935 editions of the Central European International Cup, as well as the...

, the Puma King XL Italia.

In 2010, a Puma King model was released commemorating the 50th birthday of Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...

 with a model called the Puma King Diego Finale football boot. This edition was created in the colours of the La Albiceleste of the Argentina National football team.

Takeover by PPR

In February 2007, Puma reported that its profits had fallen by 26% to €32.8 million ($43 million; £22 million) during the final three months of 2006. Most of the profit decline was due to higher costs linked to its expansion, and sales actually rose by more than a third to €480.6 million.

In early April 2007, Puma's shares rose €29.25 per share, or about 10.2% higher, at €315.24 per share. On 10 April 2007, French retailer and owner of Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...

 brand Pinault-Printemps-Redoute
PPR (company)
PPR is a French multinational holding company specializing in retail shops and luxury brands. The company was founded in 1963 by the businessman François Pinault and is now run by his son François-Henri Pinault. It is quoted on Euronext Paris and is a constituent of the CAC 40 index...

 (PPR) announced that it had bought a 27% stake in Puma, clearing the way for a full takeover. The deal values Puma at €5.3 billion. PPR said that it would launch a "friendly" takeover for Puma, worth €330 a share, once the acquisition of the smaller stake was completed. The board of Puma welcomed the move, saying it was fair and in the firm's best interests. Since 17 July 2007 PPR have 62.1 % of Puma stocks.

While PPR owns the majority of Puma's stock, Puma remains an independent company.

In July 2011, the company completed a conversion from an Aktiengesellschaft
Aktiengesellschaft
Aktiengesellschaft is a German term that refers to a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e. owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland...

 (German public
Public company
This is not the same as a Government-owned corporation.A public company or publicly traded company is a limited liability company that offers its securities for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, or through market makers operating in over the counter markets...

 limited company) to a Societas Europaea
European Company Statute
The Council Regulation on the Statute for a European Company is an EU Regulation containing the rules for a public EU company, called a Societas Europaea, or "SE". An SE can register in any member state of the European Union, and transfer to other member states. , at least 702 registrations have...

, the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

-wide equivalent, changing its name from Puma AG Rudolf Dassler Sport to Puma SE. At the same time, Franz Koch replaced the long-serving Jochen Zeitz
Jochen Zeitz
Born on April 6, 1963 in Mannheim, Germany, Jochen Zeitz is the CEO of the Sport & Lifestyle Group of PPR and Executive Chairman of PUMA SE after serving 18 years as Chairman and CEO at PUMA....

 as the firm's CEO, with Zeitz becoming chairman.

Employment Practices

Organizations promoting fair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...

 and worker's rights criticize Puma's employment practices in their developing world factories, predominantly relating to workers in China, Turkey, El Salvador, and Indonesia.

Puma, like many globalised corporations, believes that “labour flexibility remains one of the key components to ensure that individual companies survive and grow”. These “flexible” labour practices allow the company to manufacture quickly and cheaply, but often under exploitative conditions.

Freedom of association

Puma’s 2009 supplier list included close to 350 suppliers, the majority of which are located in Asia, predominately China followed by Vietnam. In these locations, Puma reports that the right for freedom of association and collective bargaining has been difficult to enforce. But according to human rights and labour organisations, Puma does not have adequate policies in place to encourage suppliers to recognise workers’ union rights. Puma does not require suppliers to issue their workers with the right to form a union. Nor does it require suppliers to sign union access agreements.

Puma frequently utilises short term contracts with its suppliers, which means that at any time it can leave an area, and its workers, if they can source their products cheaper elsewhere. This lack of stability does not give supplier factories a good incentive to respect workers’ rights. For instance in 2004 Puma decided to stop ordering garments from the Lian Thai factory in Thailand just after the factory had agreed to cease discrimination against trade union members. In another incident, following the long-awaited formation of an independent union at one of Puma’s Mexican suppliers, the company cut orders from the factory.

At the same time, Puma has not taken action to minimise the use of short term contracts, whereas the prevalence of these contracts creates an atmosphere of economic insecurity and makes it difficult for workers to organise for their rights.

Low wages

In a number of regions, sportswear workers producing for Puma have been increasingly vocal about the serious inadequacy of their wages. Puma has not yet made a full commitment to pay a living wage. However, Puma is currently undertaking research into finding a practical solution to the problem of low wages in Asia, and is working with suppliers in Indonesia, India and Cambodia to assess the feasibility of a minimum living wage. Labour organisations, such as the Asia Floor Wage campaign, hope that this process with lead to the implementation of living wages in the future. In the meanwhile, Puma has admitted that it is still trying to achieving full compliance with the minimum wage at a number of its suppliers.Puma, Sustainability Report 2007–2008, 2009, accessed at 20 January 2010.

Steps in the right direction

On a positive note, the company has made some steps towards greater transparency. In the year 2000 Puma began auditing all of its suppliers on a yearly basis and it makes finding of its audits available in its sustainability reports. Since 2005 it has also made a list of its suppliers publically available.

Puma has also made a strong commitment to respecting workers rights in some areas. For example Puma has obtained the highly reputed Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation for its Australian made products. While this labour friendly accreditation applies to only a tiny percentage of Puma’s total production, it does show that the brand has the capacity to do more to support the rights and welfare of the workers who make its products.

Environmental Practices

In July 2011, Puma - along with other major sportswear
Sportswear
Sportswear or activewear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons....

 brands including Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...

, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

 and Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally....

 - was the subject of a report by the environmental group Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...

 entitled 'Dirty Laundry'. Puma is accused of working with suppliers in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 who, according the findings of the report, contribute to the pollution of the Yangtze and Pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...

 Rivers. Samples taken from one facility belonging to the Youngor Group
Youngor Group
Youngor Group Company Limited is a private textiles and clothing enterprise in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. It is engaged in designing, manufacturing, selling clothing products with its "Youngor" Brand for gentleman clothing...

 located on the Yangtze River Delta
Yangtze River Delta
The Yangtze River Delta, Yangtze Delta or YRD, also called Yangzi, or Chang Jiang Delta, Rive Chang Delta Tai Lake Region or the Golden Triangle of the Yangtze, generally comprises the triangular-shaped territory of Wu-speaking Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang province of...

 and another belonging to the Well Dyeing Factory Ltd. located on a tributary of the Pearl River Delta
Pearl River Delta
The Pearl River Delta , Zhujiang Delta or Zhusanjiao in Guangdong province, People's Republic of China is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea...

 revealed the presence of hazardous and persistent hormone disruptor chemicals, including alkylphenols, perfluorinated compounds and perfluorooctane sulfonate.

Less than two weeks after the release of the Dirty Laundry report, Puma made a public commitment to deal with the issues raised by Greenpeace. The company's statement asserts that "Puma is committed to eliminate the discharges of all hazardous chemicals from the whole lifecycle and all production procedures that are associated with the making and using of Puma products." Greenpeace also confirmed Puma's commitment to eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals from its entire product lifecycle, and across its global supply chain by 2020.

Timeline

  • 1920: Rudolf Dassler
    Rudolf Dassler
    Rudolf Dassler was the German founder of the sportswear company PUMA and the older brother of Adidas founder, Adolf "Adi" Dassler. The brothers were partners in a shoe company Adi started, Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik...

     and his brother Adolf
    Adolf Dassler
    Adolf "Adi" Dassler was the founder of the German sportswear company Adidas....

     start making sports shoes.
  • 1924: Foundation of Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik, Herzogenaurach, Germany.
  • 1948: Foundation of Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler (1 October), Introduction of the ATOM, Puma's first football shoe.
  • 1949: Rudolf Dassler has the idea of football shoes with removable studs. He begins working on their development and production.

Many football experts, like Sepp Herberger
Sepp Herberger
Josef "Sepp" Herberger was a German football player and manager...

, are involved.
  • 1952: Introduction of the SUPER ATOM.
  • 1953: Development of ATOMs successor: the BRASIL.
  • 1958: Introduction of Puma's signature "Formstripe" at the FIFA World Cup
    FIFA World Cup
    The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

     in Sweden
    1958 FIFA World Cup
    The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...

    .
  • 1959: The company is transformed into a limited partnership
    Limited partnership
    A limited partnership is a form of partnership similar to a general partnership, except that in addition to one or more general partners , there are one or more limited partners . It is a partnership in which only one partner is required to be a general partner.The GPs are, in all major respects,...

     named Puma-Sportschuhfabriken Rudolf Dassler KG.
  • 1960: Introduction of the technologically advanced vulcanization production technique.
  • 1966: Launch of the WEMBLEY, the predecessor model to the Puma King.
  • 1968: Launch of the legendary KING. Puma is the first manufacturer to offer sports shoes with Velcro
    Velcro
    Velcro is the brand name of the first commercially marketed fabric hook-and-loop fastener, invented in 1948 by the Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral...

     fasteners.
  • 1968: Launch of the SUEDE.
  • 1973: Launch of the CLYDE. Designed for basket player Walt "Clyde" Fraizer, as a wider-fitting version of suede model.
  • 1974: Rudolf Dassler
    Rudolf Dassler
    Rudolf Dassler was the German founder of the sportswear company PUMA and the older brother of Adidas founder, Adolf "Adi" Dassler. The brothers were partners in a shoe company Adi started, Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik...

     dies. His sons Armin and Gerd take over the company's management.
  • 1976: Introduction of the revolutionary S.P.A.-Technology.
  • 1986: Transformation into a stock corporation
    Stock corporation
    A stock corporation is a for-profit corporation which the ownership of the corporation is expressed by shares of stock. This allows for the ownership of the corporation to be readily determined, as shares are property, and are transferrable as any other property such as money, subject to any...

    .
  • 1989: Launch of the TRINOMIC sport shoe system.
  • 1990: Introduction of INSPECTOR, a growth control system for children's shoes.
  • 1991: Launch of the DISC SYSTEM sports shoe.
  • 1992: Capital increase by DM 20 million, share capital reaches DM 70 million.
  • 1993: Jochen Zeitz
    Jochen Zeitz
    Born on April 6, 1963 in Mannheim, Germany, Jochen Zeitz is the CEO of the Sport & Lifestyle Group of PPR and Executive Chairman of PUMA SE after serving 18 years as Chairman and CEO at PUMA....

     is appointed Chairman and CEO, Proventus/Aritmos B.V. becomes majority shareholder.
  • 1994: The first profit since the company's IPO in 1986 is regeristered.
  • 1996: Puma is listed in the German M-DAX index
    MDAX
    The MDAX is a stock index which lists German companies. The index is calculated by Deutsche Börse.It includes the 50 Prime Standard shares from sectors excluding technology that rank immediately below the companies included in the DAX index...

    ; introduction of the CELL technology, the first foam-free midsole.
  • 1997: Launch of the CELLERATOR.
  • 1998: Puma merges sports and fashion. The company starts a cooperation with designer Jil Sander
    Jil Sander
    Heidemarie Jiline 'Jil' Sander is a minimalist German fashion designer and the founder of the Jil Sander fashion house....

    .
  • 1999: Puma becomes an official on-field supplier of the U.S. National Football League (NFL).
  • 2000: Production of fireproof footwear in partnership with Porsche
    Porsche
    Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....

     and Sparco
    Sparco
    Sparco S.p.A is an Italian auto part and accessory company headquartered in Settimo Torinese, Turin, Italy that specializes in producing items such as seats, steering wheels, harnesses, racewear and helmets. Sparco branded alloy wheels are produced under licence by OZ Group...

    .
  • 2001: Acquisition of the Scandinavian Tretorn Group.
  • 2002: Launch of the SHUDOH.
  • 2003: Majority shareholder Monarchy/Regency sells its shareholdings to a broad base of institutional investors.
  • 2004: Collaborative partnership with world-renowned designer Philippe Starck
    Philippe Starck
    Philippe Patrick Starck is a French product designer and probably the best known designer in the New Design style...

    .
  • 2005: Mayfair Vermögensverwaltungsgesellschaft mbh acquires a total of 16.91% shareholding.
  • 2006: The company is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index; Introduction of the S.A.F.E. concept, a specific tool developed to continuously improve social and environmental standards. Shoe collection in cooperation with Alexander McQueen
    Alexander McQueen
    Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...

    . Italy would go on to win the 2006 World Cup. Due to Puma's sponsorship of the Italian national team, many of the teams' players wore Puma cleats.
  • 2007: Voluntary public take-over by Pinault-Printemps Redoute
    PPR (company)
    PPR is a French multinational holding company specializing in retail shops and luxury brands. The company was founded in 1963 by the businessman François Pinault and is now run by his son François-Henri Pinault. It is quoted on Euronext Paris and is a constituent of the CAC 40 index...

    ; Prolongation of the contract with Jochen Zeitz by five years.
  • 2008: Melody Harris-Jensbach
    Melody Harris-Jensbach
    Melody Harris-Jensbach is a Korean-American Manager, Deputy CEO and Member of the Board of Puma.- Career :She graduated at the Parsons School of Design in New York. Due to her marriage, Melody Harris-Jensbach moved to Germany in 1986 where she first worked for the fashion firms Cartoon, Triangle...

     is appointed Deputy CEO; Designer and artist Hussein Chalayan
    Hussein Chalayan
    Hussein Chalayan MBE is a British/Turkish Cypriot fashion designer who graduated from Central Saint Martins in 1993.- Biography :...

     becomes Creative Director, Puma also acquires a majority stake in Chalayan's business and Hussein Chalayan.
  • 2010: Signs two year deals to make the kits of Newcastle United, Motherwell
    Motherwell F.C.
    Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...

    , Hibernian
    Hibernian F.C.
    Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...

    , Burnley
    Burnley F.C.
    Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...

     & Preston
    Preston North End F.C.
    Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...

     from the 2010–11 season.
  • 2011: Signs a deal to make kits of GNK Dinamo Zagreb from the 2011–12 season. Signs a three year deal with A-League
    A-League
    The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...

     champions Brisbane Roar.

Sponsorship

Puma is a sponsor of sporting events and identities, domestically
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and internationally. From its origins in football, the company sponsors numerous footballers and national football teams; the "Formstripe" especially has a heavy presence in Africa. Puma is also the sponsor of a number of Premier League teams, most notably Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United (both until the end of 2011/12 season). In Australia, Brisbane Roar FC announced Puma as its Hyundai A-League exclusive apparel partner for three seasons beginning 2011/12.

In Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

, Puma has longstanding marketing relationships with the Hawthorn Football Club
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...

 and West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...

, along with the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...

. With Hawthorn especially, Puma has been the club's apparel sponsor since the 1980s, during the club's most successful era.

In Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

, Puma is the official apparel sponsor for the Deccan Chargers
Deccan Chargers
Hyderabad Deccan Chargers known in short as DC or 'Chargers' is a cricket franchise that represents the city of Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League...

(Team representing the city of Hyderabad), and Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals is an Indian Premier League franchise based on the city of the Jaipur captained and coached by former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne.They were the champions of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League...

(Team representing the city if Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....

) in the Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...

. International cricketers such as Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh Bhandal is an Indian cricketer, and the son of former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi movie star Yograj Singh. He has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 2000 and played his first Test match in 2003. He was the vice captain of the ODI team from late-2007 to late-2008...

(India), Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...

 (Australia) and Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum
Brendon Barrie McCullum is a New Zealand international cricketer, who plays for the Otago Volts at provincial level. He is a wicket-keeper, as well as an aggressive batsman who opens in One-day Internationals and is known for his fast scoring rate...

 (New Zealand) endorse the brand, and use the brand's cricket gear.

In Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 Puma entered an eight year contract as official apparel sponsor of the Irish Rugby team since the beginning of season 2009–10, PUMA supply team kit, replica kit and training equipment. Puma also sponsor English premiership side Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...

.

Puma has also sponsored many movies like it sponsored various teams in the Indian movie chak de india! along with the Indian hockey team represented in the movie there.

Acquisitions

On 10 March 2010 Puma announced it will acquire 100 percent of Cobra Golf
Cobra Golf
Cobra Golf is a subsidiary of German company Puma based in Carlsbad, California, which manufactures golf equipment.Founded in 1973 by Thomas L. Crow, Cobra produced one of the first utility clubs, the Baffler, long before the use of such clubs became popular. The company was acquired in 1996 by...

, based in Carlsbad, California, from Fortune Brands Inc., but did not provide any financial details. The deal which faces regulatory approval is expected to close in the second quarter.
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