ASICS Europe have reported strong growth for the first three-quarters of 2016.
The sportswear brand has seen solid growth across the EMEA region between January and September 2016, with the true sport performance brand delivering an overall 4 per cent increase in net sales to €695 million.
The sales increase was largely driven by strong growth in running.
Running footwear increased by six per cent and apparel by three per cent. Another key contributor is the ongoing acceleration of the brand’s lifestyle category, ASICS Tiger, which grew by 54 per cent. Sales in ASICS’ own retail outlets grew by 16 per cent.
In running footwear ASICS successfully launched its brand new running shoe, DynaFlyte, containing the innovative material FlyteFoam.
The award-winning midsole material – receiving outstanding product test reviews for its combination of light weight and optimum cushioning – will see FlyteFoam expand into a new series of ‘fast’ running shoe models, launching in spring 2017.
The recent quarter saw ASICS launch its new Global Digital Division to focus on innovative digital technologies that help better connect with consumers. The Boston based division is led by Jason Jacobs, founder and CEO of RunKeeper – acquired by ASICS in 2016.
ASICS has also opened a new customer experience centre in Barcelona to centrally manage all consumer interactions for the EMEA region.
Alistair Cameron, CEO of ASICS Europe, said: “In 2016, our focus on a more consumer centric approach and streamlining of our distribution – with focus on fewer, more high-quality accounts offering a more diverse product range – has resulted in healthy growth across the business.
“There have been clear strides forward in building a stronger brand between performance and lifestyle and we’ve put digital marketing at the heart of our communications.
“Our aim is to inspire the new generation who see fitness as part of their daily lives, by offering products that merge performance with lifestyle. At the same time, we continue to lead the way in technical running as demonstrated by the success of ASICS DynaFlyte.”
