London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

Kanye West split from Adidas 'hurting' the business - as mountain of Yeezy trainers remain unsold

Kanye West split from Adidas 'hurting' the business - as mountain of Yeezy trainers remain unsold

The company says it still has not made a decision on what to do with $500m of Yeezy stock as group sales suffer at the start of the year.
Adidas has reported a drop in sales but better than expected profits in the wake of its high-profile split from shamed rapper and fashion designer Kanye West.

The sportwear company said the loss of his Yeezy trainers brand was "hurting" the business but it pointed to some of the pain being eliminated by a recovery in sales in China.

Adidas had said in March it was still yet to decide what to do with a mountain of unsold Yeezy stock worth £442m - the legacy of its decision to part from West, now known as Ye, following antisemitic and other offensive remarks he made last October.

It had no update on Friday on its plans for the goods which could, potentially, be written off entirely or re-purposed.

Adidas said it was still on course to record its first annual loss in three decades this year, estimated at £612m, when it updated investors on its progress for the first three months of 2023.

Net sales declined 1% to £4.6bn while net profits fell to £52m from the £384m achieved in the same period last year, the company said.

North America proved the main drag on sales but Adidas said partnerships with Bad Bunny, Pharrell Williams and Jerry Lorenzo's Fear of God brand were helping it offset some Yeezy revenue losses.

Shares rose 8% as the numbers were significantly better than analysts had predicted.

Market experts pointed to encouraging signs of recovery in China for the share price reaction.

Chief executive Bjorn Gulden told reporters that while Adidas was yet to make a decision on the Yeezy stock mountain, the options for the shoes had been narrowed down and it was getting closer to a decision.

Pippa Stephens, senior apparel analyst at GlobalData, said of the company's update: "While Adidas' troubles are largely down to the termination of Yeezy, with sales excluding this brand up 9%, it also has less desirable designs than its competitors which has driven away many of its formerly loyal shoppers."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
×