Celebrating Adidas at 75
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Welcome back to FN Daily, where we break down the biggest stories happening in footwear and retail.
Today we're diving into FN's June issue, which highlights Adidas at its 75th anniversary. Plus, we have exclusive news about The Running Event (TRE) expanding its trade show and Salomon opens a flagship store in Paris.
Here's what you need to know.
EXCLUSIVE: Adidas CEO Bj?rn Gulden on Creating Viral Moments, Remote Work and How He’s Pivoting the Business to Win
As Adidas marks its 75th anniversary, CEO Bj?rn Gulden sat down with FN to give an honest assessment of the brand, himself and the path ahead.
The executive was keen to speak to FN about the business — tapping his decades of experience to offer insights on the future of the sports brand. Adidas is a company near and dear to Gulden. When he returned to Adidas in January 2023, Gulden inherited a brand in turmoil following the termination of its Yeezy deal. At Adidas’ annual general meeting in May, Gulden explained the state of the company when he walked in the door.
“We started 2023 with lots of negative reports,” Gulden said at May’s meeting. “People said things like ‘there is no innovation’; ‘there are no hot products and there is no brand heat’; ‘there’s no talent.’ It was a difficult start, but I will show you that we do have innovation that existed 12 months ago that had nothing to do with me and was already there.”
EXCLUSIVE: The Running Event Is Expanding Switchback, Will Host First Standalone Event in Nashville in June 2025
After breaking into the outdoor market with Switchback in 2022, The Running Event (TRE) is set to expand the trade show.
TRE added the outdoor-focused Switchback section to its annual running trade show in November 2022. Now, TRE is making Switchback a standalone event, with the first taking place in Nashville, on June 16-18, 2025.
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“In our location search, Nashville came up as the clear choice,” TRE event director Christina Henderson told FN. “It’s centrally located, easily accessible. It’s a less than a half-day drive from many cities in the Southeast. And we wanted to differentiate Switchback from other events. We think this opens up a national trade show in a new area of the country.”
Switchback will take place at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, which features an attached premium hotel so that attendees can stay and meet in a single location. As for the show’s timing, the June dates were selected with an intentional focus on both core outdoor activities and for brands and retailers to have buying conversations.
Salomon Opens New Flagship Store on Paris’ Champs-élysées
Salomon on Friday opened the doors to its new flagship store in Paris on the famous Champs-élysées street.
According to a release from the brand, the 295 square meter store, located at 42 Avenues des Champs-élysées, marks the first mountain sports lifestyle store on the famous shopping street.
The location features an assortment of the Amer Sports-owned brand’s footwear, apparel and gear for running, hiking and winter sports. The store also includes an “innovation wall” to give consumers a look into new product developments from the brand, as well as a 2D foot scanner and a sneaker wall with sportstyle shoe products.
Zoom out: Salomon is the latest athletic footwear brand to open a location in Paris. Hoka recently opened its first shop in Paris at 35 Boulevard des Capucines in the buzzy Opéra neighborhood. And On Running said it expects to open its second Paris store on the Champs-élysées by the summer.
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