adidas Says More Than 65% of Products Sold in China Are Designed Locally

The disclosure puts product creation at the center of the group’s “from China, for China” approach. The percentage describes where products are designed, not where they are manufactured. adidas celebrated the West Bund office opening ahead of an official move in November.

Members of its supervisory and executive boards also visited retail and livestreaming operations and met with Alibaba and a factory partner to discuss AI. At Shanghai Fashion Week, adidas and Y-3 presented locally created products.

That connects the operating model to both assortment development and a consumer-facing brand platform, rather than treating localization solely as a change in headquarters organization. Chief executive Bjørn Gulden also attended Shanghai’s International Business Leaders’ Advisory Council for a third consecutive year.

The company framed the visit around local creativity and execution across physical retail, digital channels and sport. The China model brings local product creation together with stores, livestreaming and sport. The November office move is the next concrete step in the operating update.