Skip to main content
BoF Logo

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Adidas Misses Forecasts With 93% Profit Plunge

First-quarter operating profit fell to €65 million, well short of the €263 million expected by analysts.
An Adidas store | Source: Shutterstock
By
  • Reuters

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany — Adidas reported a 93 percent plunge in first-quarter profit and sales off 19 percent, missing forecasts, and warned of a deeper hit to second-quarter revenue as lockdowns forced the German sportswear maker and other retailers to close stores.

First-quarter operating profit fell to €65 million ($69.52 million), well short of the €263 million expected by analysts.

Adidas said it had taken a hit of around €250 million on unsold stock in greater China, purchase order cancellations and higher bad debt provisions.

Sales fell 19 percent to €4.75 billion versus €4.85 billion forecast by analysts, Refinitiv Eikon data showed, and the company warned of a possible 40 percent fall in the second quarter.

ADVERTISEMENT

Adidas shares were down 1.2 percent in early trade and have fallen more than a third since the coronavirus pandemic started.

It said it could not provide an outlook for the year given the uncertainty over when closed stores might reopen.

Adidas said more than 70 percent of its stores were currently closed worldwide, with a 35 percent rise in e-commerce in the first quarter only partially offsetting that.

In the first three weeks of April, it said sales in China had continued to recover as stores reopened there.

Rival Nike Inc last month beat estimates for its third quarter ended February 29, with revenue up 5.1 percent as strong online demand offset lower sales in China.

Adidas said it had a cash position of €1.975 billion at March 31. It received approval for a €2.4 billion government-backed loan on April 14 to help it through the crisis and is reportedly planning a bond to replace it.

By Emma Thomasson; editors: Riham Alkousaa and Jason Neely.

In This Article
Topics
Organisations

© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Retail
Analysis and advice from the front lines of the retail transformation.

Op-Ed | The Rise of the Unwasteful Brand

A profitable, multi-trillion dollar fashion industry populated with brands that generate minimal economic and environmental waste is within our reach, argues Lawrence Lenihan.


Fashion’s Stalled Self-Checkout Revolution

RFID technology has made self-checkout far more efficient than traditional scanning kiosks at retailers like Zara and Uniqlo, but the industry at large hesitates to fully embrace the innovation over concerns of theft and customer engagement.


view more

Subscribe to the BoF Daily Digest

The essential daily round-up of fashion news, analysis, and breaking news alerts.

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON
The Business of Beauty Global Awards - Deadline 30 April 2024
© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Accessibility Statement.
The Business of Beauty Global Awards - Deadline 30 April 2024