Director of Key Cities, LA
6.2.2021
A lot has changed over the past year. Where we live, where we gather, and as retail giants like Adidas have experienced, how we shop. In this office profile we’re taking a deeper look inside the world of Adidas—from their creative office space at ROW, to their new growth strategy for around the globe.
COVID accelerated the direct-to-consumer business model that has been growing at double-digit percentages for several years. As a result, retailers have found themselves rethinking their business strategies as discretionary spending begins to bounce back. Adidas recently revealed their own five-year growth strategy, aptly titled “Own the Game,” with a primary focus on strengthening the credibility of the brand, expanding their sustainability efforts, and doubling the number of “Key Cities” they’ll zero in on. We reached out to Timothy Nickloff, Director of Key Cities, LA, to find out more details about the strategy.
The brand’s current Key Cities include Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, London, New York and our very own Los Angeles. “LA has always been one of, if not the most influential cities across sports and culture,” says Timothy Nickloff. “That’s represented in how we are evolving and working with Jerry Lorenzo across Basketball & Style, and how Los Angeles will now be home to our Global Basketball Leadership Team.”
Those six cities will expand to include Mexico City, Berlin, Moscow, Dubai, Beijing and Seoul. "These cities represent the beating heart of our global consumer experience and exert influence on the rest of the world, while at the same time offering commercial opportunities as urbanization continues,” Nickloff explains. By over-investing in these markets over the next five years, these Key Cities are expected to account for roughly 90% of the company’s net sales growth.
Adidas is also doing their part in tackling the fact that the clothing industry remains one of the top polluters in the world, with a large part of their five-year growth plan focusing on sustainability. “We define products as sustainable when they show environmental benefits versus conventional products due to the materials used or their respective production technologies.” Nickloff tells us. To further this effort, the company is aiming to ensure nine out of every 10 articles will be made from sustainable materials by 2025, compared to the current six out of 10.
But their 2025 sustainability efforts won’t stop there. Part of the Own The Game growth plan also involves reducing the company’s carbon footprint by 15% per product, using only recycled polyester in every product after 2024, and achieving climate neutrality in their operations. All of these steps will help propel them towards a greater goal of achieving overall climate neutrality across their entire supply chain by 2050.
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