Table of Contents

PART I: DESCRIBE TWO PUBLICLY TRADED BUSINESS RIVALS…………………..3

Question 1…………………...……………………………………………………………3

PART II: OPPORTUNITY……………………………………………………………………..4

Question 1…………………………………………………………………………….…..4

Question 2………………………………………………………………………………...5

PART III: INDUSTRY ANALYSIS……………………………………………………………6

Question 1………………………………………………………………………………..6

Question 2………………………………………………………………………………..9

Question 3………………………………………………………………………………..9

Question 4……………………………………………………………………………….11

PART IV: STRENGTH ASSESSMENT……………………………………………………..12

Citations…………………………………………………………………………………………13


PART I: DESCRIBE TWO PUBLICLY TRADED BUSINESS RIVALS

1. What two publicly traded business rivals is this paper about? Give their Corporate addresses. Describe the businesses in which they compete against each other. What industry are these businesses competing in?

Nike Inc. and Adidas AG are the two largest and arguably well known sportswear companies in the world. Both companies compete against one another in the numerous industries including the athletic footwear industry. Nike Inc. is in itself the world’s largest athletic footwear supplier, holding an astonishing 50% of a 20 billion dollar global industry (S&P, 2010) and 40% of the US market (IBIS, 2010). Nike powers its massive lead on the market with innovative technology and product creation often bringing all new ideas and offerings to the market before any other. Nike Inc. describes their principle business activity as “the design, development and worldwide marketing of high quality footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessory products” Nike earned 2009 revenues of $19,014,000,000, netting $1,906,700,000 in profits (Nike 10-K, 2010). Nike boasts an extremely lucrative stable of world renowned endorsers. Those endorsers include Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Roger Federer and Kobe Bryant to name a few. Nike also outfits high profile sports teams such as the U.S. National basketball and soccer teams, as well as many top tier collegiate programs across the country including Ohio State, USC and Oregon. In 2012, Nike Inc. will also equip the National Football League (NFL) for all on-field and officially licensed apparel. Nike’s world headquarters are located at Nike World Headquarters, One Bowerman Drive, Beaverton, OR 97005.

Nike Inc.’s main competitor and 2nd place occupant is Adidas AG, located in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Although Adidas falls significantly below Nike in global market share, the US is an entirely different situation. With the recent acquisition of Reebok, Adidas AG now boasts a 40% share of the US athletic footwear market and is a direct competitor with rival Nike (IBIS, 2010). In 2009, the Adidas Group earned 10,381,000,000 euro in revenues ($13,656,209,752) (AG Annual, 2010). Primarily, Adidas had been focused on soccer and other sports that flourished globally. Yet with their increased presence in the United States, Adidas has launched an all out assault on territories once believed to be untouchable by anyone other than Nike, namely the basketball market. Adidas holds significant endorsement deals just as Nike does, with namesakes such as Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, Tyson Gay, Jim Furyk and Dwight Howard. Adidas also is the exclusive outfitter of the NBA, as well as numerous collegiate programs such as Michigan, NC State, and UCLA.

PART II: OPPORTUNITY

1. Define or describe the industry that these businesses compete in.

As stated, both Nike Inc. and Adidas AG have many facets to their businesses, and compete in several industries. The athletic footwear industry is the marquee industry in which most athletic companies are judged, and is the topic of this discussion. In the United States, sports are a way of life. Whether it is for fashion, sport, or leisure, the athletic footwear industry in the United States is a significant industry, with 2009 sales reaching $27.4 billion (S&P, 2010). As lucrative as the business has been for a companies such as Nike or Adidas, the tightening economy has played a role in the faltering performance of the industry. As previously mentioned, $27.4 billion was earned in 2009, which was a drop in percentage from 2008 figures. Over the past 5 years, industry sales revenues have decreased on an average annual rate of 0.3% (IBIS, 2010). In the future, it will be imperative for both Nike and Adidas to develop strong branding and desirability to appeal to the U.S. market. Nike must plan for a head on competitive battle against Adidas and their emergence as a power in the U.S., as the business has become much more competitive than before. The footwear industry is like a chess match, in which each decision is critical to the immediate future of a company. For instance, Adidas’ acquisition of Reebok has proven to be extremely valuable in garnishing a huge share of the female athletic footwear market. So much so that Nike has refused to even enter into the women’s toning market, occupied heavily by Reebok’s Easy -Tone brand and rival Sketchers. In 2009 alone, Reebok “more than doubled” its share of the female athletic shoe market to 6.7%, in large part due to the emergence of the toning footwear market. Coupled with Sketchers brand tripling its share to 17%, Nike lost over 7% of its market leading 31% share (Townsend, 2010).

According to 2009 numbers, the US footwear manufacturing industry is on the steady decline, projected to decrease at an average of 5.2% annually. Coupled with the surprising fact that over 90% of footwear sold in the US is sourced from foreign manufacturers, the industry truly has “one foot in the grave” (IBIS, 2010). With increased competition and rising prices in the U.S., it comes as no surprise that both Nike and Adidas have moved overseas in search of both market growth opportunities and lower production costs.

Listed above are 2009 figures, courtesy of IBISWorld, that depict the steady decline of the US athletic footwear manufacturing industry.

This increased competition has also positioned the two companies to compete in an area traditionally dominated by Adidas: soccer. As the 2010 South Africa World Cup sponsor, Adidas has enjoyed a firm grasp of the market. However Nike has made a push in the segment, even making an attempt to sponsor the German national team during the 2010 World Cup. However Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer immediately doubled their existing offer with the Germans, whom they had sponsored since 1954, stating that “soccer is, of course, the heart and soul of our company” (Townsend/Holger, 2010).

2. In the industry as you defined it, which geographic area is there currently the largest amount of demand? How large is the amount of demand in this geographic area? How fast is demand growing in this geographic area?

Currently, the North American market produces the highest demand for athletic footwear. At the end of August, Nike had increased its North American market share by almost $1 billion, an increase of 8% over quarter 2 figures. Nike complemented their North American success with gains in China, rising 11% to $460 million (Townsend/Fenner, 2010). Adidas, who has emerged as a major player in the North American market, reported Q2 to Q3 growth of 14% in North America and 9% in China, besting rival Nike in its home country for only the 2nd time (Adidas Q3, 2010). Adidas group CEO Hainer echoed the importance of the Chinese market, as well as the attempt by Adidas to directly compete in North America with Nike in his statement, saying “I am pleased to report that the third quarter met our high expectations. Double-digit revenue growth in football, Adidas Sport Style and Reebok year-to-date, as well as a resumption of growth in Greater China in the third quarter all reflect a well executed 2010 strategy.”

PART III: INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

1. Do a “5-forces” Analysis for the industry you identified above. For each force, state its power magnitude as either High, Moderate, or Low; and explain why you assigned it that magnitude of power using the most current facts available from required sources.

With the Footwear Manufacturing dwindling in the US, buyers are beginning to gain more and more power. Because of this, the threat of buyers is classified as high. This added power does come with a cost though. The number of US wholesalers will drop to 1,325 in 2015 due to cheaper imports and labor continuing to be ship overseas (IBISWorld). In 2010, footwear wholesalers made up 36.1% of the market for manufacturers (IBISWorld). This number is expected to decline as footwear retailers also begin to gain power. Wholesaler margins have decreased due to retailers sourcing directly from the manufacturer (Driscoll). Fewer wholesaler buyers with diminishing profit margins mean each wholesaler is very important to the manufacturer. Established wholesalers are acquiring increasingly larger market shares due to smaller companies being forced out of business, thus their contracts with manufactures are instrumental in keeping the manufacturer in business. Another reason why wholesaler contracts are important is because the wholesale market is declining as well. This leaves a concentrated group of wholesale companies who are vital to obtaining a sustainable competitive advantage. Even though the US Footwear Retailers market segment is gaining market share on the wholesale segment, it is also feeling the effects of off shoring. Retailers only account for 31.6% of the market (IBISWorld). These difficult conditions have forced many retailers out of business. Enterprise numbers have fallen from 10,985 in 2005 to 10,415 in 2010 (IBISWorld). This is pushing the retail market in the same direction as the wholesale market. Manufacturers will begin to rely more heavily on the established retailers who can provide them enough business to maintain their own market share within the footwear manufacturing industry. Without these wholesale and retail buyers, the manufacturer would lose a substantial amount of profit and ultimately be forced out of business by competitors who are stronger in key success factors.

Rivalry is a high-power threat in the Footwear Manufacturing industry. This is partly due to a diminishing US Footwear Manufacturing industry and the increase in buyer power. IBISWorld forecasts industry revenue will decline at a five-year annual rate of 1.5% to $1.6 billion by 2015 (IBISWorld). Less revenue and the shift of the power to the buyers makes each buyer more and more important to a manufacturer. Also, with their increase in power, buyers are able place orders infrequently which increases the threat of rivalry. To further the threat of rivalry, there are many competitors that are roughly the same size. Nike, Adidas AG, and The Timberland Company are 3 of the largest footwear manufacturers (IBISWorld). The threat of rivalry is even more prevalent in offshore manufacturing. The opportunity for low cost labor has driven many manufacturers to transplant operations abroad. Because of this you have these large companies such as Nike and Adidas competing for resources in the same regions. Some companies, like Nike, are posting revenue declines even with these opportunities for low-cost labor. Nike's revenues dropped to $19.0 billion at the end of the 2010 fiscal year (Nike).

Substitutes were classified as a high power threat. When determining power magnitude of Substitutes, it is important to distinguish the difference between the US Footwear Manufacturing industry and US companies that have their footwear manufactured overseas. The US Footwear Manufacturing industry encompasses companies that manufacture shoes within the borders of the United States. Due to the trend of outsourcing and the declining US Footwear Manufacturing industry, the threat of substitutes is classified as “High”. Even if a US company was created and instituting a low cost leadership strategy, it would not be able to compete in the cost of doing business when compared to a company that has outsourced their manufacturing. Wholesalers and retailers are much more likely to purchase footwear from manufacturing industries in Asia, where Adidas does 97% of its total footwear production, or in Vietnam, where Nike does 37% of its manufacturing, because it is cheaper (IBISWorld). The US footwear consumer market continues to thrive off of imported shoes. China remains the single largest importer of footwear into the United States, accounting for 76.3% of total imports, an estimated $14.7 billion in 2010 (IBISWorld). If a company that is currently manufacturing in the United States is unwilling to outsource its labor, it will not be able to compete with the larger companies such as Nike and Adidas on a price based strategy.

Due to the various geographic locations that are typically associated with outsourcing manufacturing and their abundance of resources, the threat of suppliers was given a moderate power-level. While Adidas produces 97% of their total production in Asia, most of this comes from China. This has forced companies such as Nike to look for other suppliers and have spread out their manufacturing to Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia (IBISWorld). The vast majority of these suppliers are not capable of forward integration and look to manufacturing companies to purchase their supplies. With the increase in demand for low-cost labor, came an increase in the amount of suppliers. There is not, however, a surplus in supplies as larger companies seek to engage in contracts with these companies as soon as possible (Driscoll).

Currently, the US Footwear Manufacturing industry is not a very attractive option for new entrants. Because of this, the threat of entry has been classified as low-to-moderate. Imports continue to infiltrate the industry, growing at an average rate of 2.5% annually and satisfying nearly 95.0% of domestic demand by 2015. This will force participants out of the industry at an average annual rate of 1.5% to 662 companies in 2015 (1). This is a result of weak domestic demand and strong price competition from low-cost importers. Companies have not been able to sustain profits or operations, sending the industry into a state of decline (4). The future does not look promising either. IBISWorld forecasts imports to grow at an annual rate of 2.5% to $21.8 billion from 2010 to 2015 (5). In order to enter the US Footwear Manufacturing industry, a company would have to identify a niche market and focus their efforts on that. One benefit to the Footwear Manufacturing industry is that the start-up investment requirement is relatively low. Footwear manufacturers operating within this industry use approximately 10.6 units of labor for each unit of capital. A labor-to-capital ratio of 10.6:1 indicates a low level of capital requirements (6). Also, the level of technological advancement in the Footwear Manufacturing industry is low. This means machinery turn-over due to innovation is low and thus capital spent in acquiring the machine is well spent. Even with benefits such as these, the declining US Footwear Manufacturing industry is not attractive due to the lack of opportunities for profit.