Adidas on top form for World Cup
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Adidas is expecting to sell 15m balls during the World Cup. From the £6 mini-version to the £75 match ball - the sporting giant expects to sell as football fever sweeps the globe ahead of the tournament's opening next month. If Adidas hits the target it would be a world-beating performance, according to the Guardian. In 2002 Adidas, which has provided the official World Cup ball since 1970, sold 6m. This time it expected sales of 10m but the chief executive, Herner Hainer, told a German newspaper that estimates were up 50%.
"It's totally new, innovative," enthuses a spokesman. "A totally new design." It is made of 14 synthetic foam panels that are thermally bonded, not stitched together. One result is that the ball absorbs very little water - 0.1% of its weight, apparently - during a game played in wet weather.
However, forecasting demand for World Cup products is notoriously tricky. In 2002, when the tournament was held in Japan and South Korea , Germany was tipped for a relatively early exit but went on to make the final. That left Adidas in big trouble. By the time the German team had qualified for the semi-finals, retailers had run out of replica shirts.
This time the company has had 100 people working for two years on its World Cup products - and will, no doubt, have taken account of the tournament's history of strong performances by host countries. "The World Cup business is going fantastic and is beating all our expectations," said Mr Hainer. That certainly scored with investors and today's first-quarter results are expected to make them even happier.