What It Does: Adidas specialises in the design and production of sporting equipment, sportswear, apparel, footwear, and toiletries.
Mission: Adidas's mission is to be a sporting goods industry leader with brands established on a passion for sports and a sporting way of life.
Size and Presence: Adidas has a workforce that's 1,146-member strong across its 27 retail outlets in the UK.
Best known For Adidas is well-known all over the world. It's a household name. The company is the biggest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and globally, it's second only to Nike. Adidas is a parent organisation of popular brands such as Reebok, CrossFit, Runtastic, etc.
The Good Bits: There is job security. The job comes with many amazing employee benefits. The pay is excellent. There are several growth opportunities up for grabs.
The Not-So-Good Bits: The work gets fast-paced sometimes.
Adidas's history dates back to 1924 when Adolf and Rudolf Dassler established a company known as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik. In English, this translates to Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory. This company played a pivotal role in the development of spiked running footwear for several athletic events. They changed the design from heavy metal spikes to adopting rubber or canvas material, which enhances the overall quality of the spiked shoes. During the 1936 Summer Olympics, Jesse Owens, a sprinting legend, used the remodelled spiked shoe. This brought fame to the company. Eleven years later, Adolf and Rudolf had a conflict that made them part ways, with the latter establishing his own company, Ruda, which was later renamed Puma in 1949.
After the Summer Olympics in 1952, Adidas purchased its famous triple-striped logo from Karhu Sports, a Finnish sports footwear brand, for an equivalent of 1,600 euros and a couple of bottles of whiskey. The logo was redesigned in 1971 and launched in 1972. In the late 80s, Adidas was on the verge of bankruptcy. This led to its acquisition by Bernard Tapie, who took a huge loan in 1990. Two years later, Tapie became bankrupt, and the French Bank he mandated to sell the company eventually converted the debt owed to the company equity. Leadership changed hands in 1994, and Adidas slowly worked to become one of the biggest sports brands in human history.
Adidas has an exciting work culture premised on six core values: courage, ownership, innovation, team play, integrity, and respect. Adidas believes life as an employee shouldn't revolve around work, so the company makes provisions for flexible working arrangements for a good work-life balance. Adidas also recognises that as a global brand, it should welcome diversity in its clientele and workforce. The company hires competent hands regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexuality. This has helped them create an inclusive environment where no worker, including fresh graduates and interns, feels invisible or out of place.
Adidas ensures that students who could become prospective employees of the company enjoy a smooth ride. The company offers its internship program to full-time students who combine academic learning with practical and paid work experience. The program gives these students a chance to test their strengths, hone their skills, and become highly employable at the end of the program. The company also offers apprenticeships, dual study programs, and global trainee programs.
After reviewing applications and resumes, Adidas contacts qualified applicants for an interview. After the interview is the assessment stage, where the applicants will undergo a test (deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, numerical reasoning, and general cognition). Success in these assessments will be rewarded with a job offer.
A fresher working at Adidas earns an average annual income of £23,000.
Adidas is a big supporter of climate neutrality and intends to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% on or before 2030.
According to several news outlets, Adidas sports bra was banned in the UK over claims of "explicit nudity."