ANTA Sports to Acquire Major Stake in Puma in €1.5 Billion Deal, Signaling Strategic Revival

Chinese sportswear giant ANTA Sports Products has announced a landmark agreement to acquire a roughly 29% stake in German athletic apparel company Puma SE in a deal valued at approximately €1.5 billion ($1.78 billion). The transaction, disclosed in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, marks one of the most significant cross-border investments in the global sportswear industry in recent years and is widely seen as a strategic lifeline for Puma amid ongoing financial and operational challenges.

Under the terms of the agreement, ANTA will purchase around 43 million Puma shares from Artemis, the investment arm of France’s Pinault family, at a price of €35 per share in cash. This represents a substantial 61% premium compared with Puma’s closing share price on Monday, highlighting ANTA’s strong confidence in Puma’s long-term brand value and growth potential. The Pinault family, led by François-Henri Pinault, also controls luxury fashion group Kering SA, making the deal a notable shift in its investment portfolio.

Puma has faced steadily weakening sales and increased competition in recent years, struggling to keep pace with larger global rivals in the sportswear market. Market speculation about a possible deal between ANTA and Puma had been circulating since early January, and ANTA itself has reportedly been interested in acquiring a stake in Puma since at least 2019. The agreement now formalizes those long-standing ambitions.

ANTA Sports has built a strong reputation for acquiring and revitalizing well-known Western brands. Its existing portfolio includes prominent names such as Wilson, Precor, and Atomic, which have benefited from ANTA’s operational expertise, supply chain strength, and deep access to the fast-growing Chinese consumer market. In its statement, ANTA emphasized that it plans to work closely with Puma to preserve its strong brand identity and heritage while supporting efforts to unlock its full brand potential.

The acquisition underscores ANTA’s broader global expansion strategy and signals renewed optimism for Puma’s future. Investors and industry watchers will be closely monitoring how this partnership reshapes Puma’s performance and competitive positioning in the global sportswear sector.