Dive Brief:
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Anta Sports Products has agreed to acquire a 29%-plus stake in Puma for 1.5 billion euros in cash ($1.8 billion at press time), the Chinese sports giant announced Tuesday.
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The deal with Groupe Artémis, the investment company of the Pinault family that acquired a 29% stake in Puma from Kering eight years ago, is expected to close by the end of this year. Anta Sports said it does not intend to make a takeover offer for Puma but will consider deepening the partnership in the future.
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Anta Sports conducts research and development, design, manufacturing, marketing and sales of footwear, apparel and accessories and says it “aims to unlock the potential of both the mass and high-end sportswear markets.”
Dive Insight:
Anta is grabbing a stake in Puma in the middle of a turnaround. The brand had a troubled year in 2025, with a leadership shakeup that began in the spring and continued into the fall. Declines persisted in Q3 and the brand laid off more people in October.
But Anta Board Chairman Ding Shizhong on Tuesday hailed Puma as “an iconic global brand with substantial heritage,” said the company “has always admired Puma’s long-term brand value and potential” and downplayed Puma’s stock dip.
“Such strong brand DNA and [valuable] heritage are rare to come by,” he said in a statement. “We believe Puma’s share price over the past few months does not fully reflect the long-term potential of the brand. We have confidence in its management team and strategic transformation. Moving forward, we hope to build strong trust, work together at arm’s length, and leverage our complementary strengths without [compromising] independence. We look forward to supporting the brand's ongoing revival.”
As of July, that management includes Arthur Hoeld, who took over as CEO amid a dispute over strategy with Puma’s former chief executive, and Maria Valdes, previously chief product officer, is chief brand officer, with expanded responsibilities. Nike vet Ronald Reijmers later took on global retail, and former Adidas exec Andreas Hubert arrived as chief operating officer in September.
In addition to this Puma deal, Anta’s portfolio also includes Anta, Fila, Descente, Kolon Sport, Maia Active and Jack Wolfskin. Anta is also a majority shareholder in Amer Sports, which owns Arc’teryx, Salomon, Wilson, Peak Performance and Atomic.
