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The brand Adidas celebrates its 70th anniversary on August 18, 2019. REUTERS / Andreas Gebert

Adidas celebrates its 70th anniversary this Sunday, August 18th. The German-born brand is number 2 sports equipment behind Nike, its great rival. Known especially for its three-band sneakers on the sides, sold worldwide, the company has stood the test of time.

On August 18, 1949, Adolf Dassler created Adidas. But this Bavarian shoemaker's son started making leather shoes for athletes in the 1920s with his brother Rudolf. Both are already banking on sponsorship to promote, among other things, cleats for football.

But the two brothers are separating. Adolf Dassler then founded Adidas, a name formed with the first three letters of his nickname Adi, and his surname. His brother Rudolf creates him, Puma.

A powerful multinational

Adidas becomes a powerful multinational in the 1970s, under the leadership of son Dassler, Horst. He is the first to offer equipment to athletes and to place men of influence at the head of the International Olympic Committee or international federations of football or athletics.

But when Horst died, the company collapsed. Bernard Tapie bought it, before reselling it in 1993 to Crédit Lyonnais. The financial Robert Louis-Dreyfus acquires it in turn and puts it back in the saddle.

22 billion euros in turnover

Introduced on the stock market in 1995 , Adidas buys its British competitor Reebok and the French Salomon specialist, among others, ski equipment.

The three-band mark owes its success to a well-honed strategy: to promote new models while relying on the sure values ​​like the Stan Smith sneakers, named after the famous tennis player or the Superstars, propelled by hip-hop .

In 2018, Adidas achieved a turnover of 22 billion euros, a record.