PUMA:PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport is a German based MNC that produces eye-candy athletic shoes and other sports wear also.
PUMA History:
Christopher Dassler was a worker in a shoe factory, a small laundry was ran by his wife Pauline an the Bavarian town. Their son Rudolf Dassler joined his father at work after he left his school,later was called to fight at the world War I.
After he returned, he took over the management position at the porcelain factory and after sometime changed to a leather wholesale business in Nuremberg.
Rudolf returned to Herzogenaurach in 1924, with Adolf[or Adi]his younger brother.
The duo started their own factory in their mother's own laundry.
In 1936, Adi Dassler moved to the Olympic village carrying a suitcase full of spikes and guess what he did there?? ya he convinced the U.S. Sprinter Jesse Owens to use them. Owens thus grabbing 4 gold medals in the event cemented the good reputation of the Dassler Shoes among the most popular sportsmen. So now the world was ready to accept Dassler Shoes. They had a big leap in business and thus sold nearly 2,00,000 pairs of shoes each ear before World War II.
In 1948, the brothers had split- may be what you call a misunderstanding to be precise. Rudolf called his new firm Ruda after Rudolf Dassler and Adolf called his firm Adidas after his nick name Adi.
Where is RUDA now? Could be your question...
The answer is that Rudolf's Company was renamed to PUMA Schuhfabrik Rudolf Da
ssler in 1948 and became a public company in 1986.Currently:
PUMA Ag has over 7,000 employees and sells its products in more than 80 countries.
PUMA is the prime producer in F1 and NASCAR.
They also won the rights of sponsoring the 2006 FIFA World Cup. They also had a combined relationship with Ferrari and BMW.
PUMA Sponsorship:
The brand sponsors numerous footballers like Pele, Rivaldo, Cristopher Toselli, Aianluigi Buffon.... these are just a few to name.
Cricketers like Sourav Ganguly, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Watson, Ian Blackwell, Simon Jones, Gibbs and few others too.
Rugby League Teams
Puma supply equipment to four National Rugby League Teams
New Zealand Warriors
Cronulla Sharks
St Helens
Castleford Tigers [From 2008 Season]
PUMA supply equipment to International Rugby League Teams
Great Britain
Australian Football League Teams
Puma supply equipment to five Australian Football League Teams
Sydney Swans
Hawthorn Hawks
Brisbane Lions
West Coast Eagles
Essendon Bombers
Currently the Company is the third largest Sportswear manufacturer behind the leaders Nike and Adidas. 32 % of Puma is owned by American entertainment group Monarchy.
There are many die hard Puma fans you can see these days... Its giving a close competition to its nearest rivals now. The race is dreadful to watch....
Visit Puma's online home
Puma
