Reports surfaced claiming shares of Puma jumped by nearly 5% as speculation grew its rival Adidas was preparing for a possible takeover. Credit: lentamart/ Shutterstock.com.

Reports surfaced claiming shares of Puma jumped by nearly 5% as speculation grew its rival Adidas was preparing for a possible takeover.

Roy Adams, co-founder of US investment firm Metronuclear, told German business newspaper Handelsblatt, “Puma is in a state of emergency. If management fails to turn things around, a merger with Adidas is the best option.”

Go deeper with GlobalData

Go deeper with GlobalData

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

A spokesperson for Adidas declined to comment when approached by Just Style. Puma also refused to comment.

Yesterday (17 September) Manager Magazin, as cited by Reuters, said two investors are preparing a takeover bid – Authentic Brands CEO Jamie Salter and private equity firm CVC’s German head Alex Dibelius have both expressed their interest in the 29% stake held by the Pinault family, paving the way for a potential bidding war, the German magazine claimed.

The news sent Puma’s share price up by 11%.

Authentic Brands declined to comment when approached by Just Style.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Last month, Authentic Brands – which owns the Reebok, Champion and Juicy Couture brands among several others – acquired a majority stake in the Guess?’ intellectual property (IP).