Reebok: Difference between revisions

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m MrOllie moved page Reebok International Limited to Reebok over redirect: rv undiscussed move away from common name
Find a better way to include "formerly Reebok" while avoiding adjacent sets of brackets. I suspect you are the IP who insists on delinking "Union Jack" and switching UK for GB, why?
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'''Reebok International Limited''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|iː|b|ɒ|k}}) formerly '''Reebok''' is an American fitness footwear and clothing brand that is a part of [[Authentic Brands Group]]. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to [[J.W. Foster and Sons]], a sporting goods company which had been founded in 1895 in [[Bolton]], Lancashire. From 1958 until 1986, the brand featured the flag of the United Kingdom in its logo to signify the origins of the company. It was bought by German sporting goods company [[Adidas]] in 2005, then sold to the United States-based Authentic Brands Group in 2021. The company's global headquarters are located in [[Boston]], Massachusetts, in the [[Seaport District]].
 
== History ==
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The brand established itself in professional tennis with the Newport Classic shoe, popularized by [[Boris Becker]] and [[John McEnroe]], and the Revenge Plus, also known as the Club C. The company began expanding from tennis and aerobics shoes to running and basketball throughout the mid to late 1980s, the most significant segment of the athletic footwear industry.<ref name=vartan>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/21/business/market-place-a-brisk-pace-is-set-by-nike.html|title=Market Place; A Brisk Pace Is Set by Nike|author=Vartanig G. Vartan|date=January 21, 1986|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=February 25, 2015}}</ref> One of the company's most iconic technologies,<ref name=complex>{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/sneakers/2013/02/10-sneakers-that-debuted-significant-technology/reebok-pump|title=10 Sneakers That Debuted Significant Technology|author=Russ Bengtson|date=February 25, 2013|publisher=Complex Magazine|access-date=March 1, 2015}}</ref> the [[Reebok Pump]], debuted in 1989<ref name=nytimes89>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/01/business/company-news-reebok-introduces-inflatable-shoe.html|title=COMPANY NEWS; Reebok Introduces Inflatable Shoe|work=The New York Times |date=November 1, 1989|agency=Reuters|access-date=March 1, 2015}}</ref><ref name=sun89>{{cite news|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1989-09-14/business/8903030064_1_reebok-shoe-version|title=Reebok 'Pump' To Sell For $170|date=September 14, 1989|newspaper=Sun Sentinel|access-date=March 1, 2015}}</ref> with more than 100 professional athletes wearing the footwear by 1992, including [[Shaquille O'Neal]].<ref name=rourke/><ref name=bswk93>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/1993-12-19/can-reebok-regain-its-balance|title=Can Reebok Regain Its Balance?|date=December 19, 1993|magazine=Bloomberg Businessweek|access-date=March 1, 2015}}</ref>
 
In 1986, Reebok switched its originalthe [[Union Jack]] logo from it had since its founding to the vector logo—an abstract Union Flag streak across a race track—which mirrored the design of the side flashes of its shoes.<ref name=adage>{{cite magazine|url=http://adage.com/article/news/change-reebok-logo-shift-pros-crossfit/291923/|title=Change: Reebok Logo Indicates Shift From Pros to Crossfit|author=Natalie Zmuda|date=February 28, 2014|magazine=Advertising Age|access-date=March 1, 2015}}</ref> The switch signaled the transition of the company into a performance brand as it began licensing deals with professional athletes in the [[NBA]] and [[NFL]].<ref name="fastcode">{{cite web |author=Brownlee |first=John |date=March 13, 2014 |title=How Reebok Became The Brand For Crossfit Junkies |url=http://www.fastcodesign.com/3027567/how-reeboks-crossfit-logo-took-over-the-mothership |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828051346/http://www.fastcodesign.com/3027567/how-reeboks-crossfit-logo-took-over-the-mothership |archive-date=2016-08-28 |access-date=2022-10-16 |website=FastCode}}</ref> Reebok also began developing sports clothing and accessories, and introduced a line of children's athletic shoes called Weeboks.<ref name="chicagotrib">{{cite news |author=Petersen |first=Clarence |date=March 15, 1987 |title=The Training Of Trendy Tots |newspaper=[[The Chicago Tribune]] |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-03-15/features/8701200671_1_tres-yup-buzz-buzzell-trendiness |access-date=March 1, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926014557/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-03-15-8701200671-story.html|archive-date=2018-09-26}}</ref> It acquired [[Rockport (company)|Rockport]] for $118.5 million in 1986.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Groves |first=Martha |date=1986-09-17 |title=Reebok to Buy Rockport for $118.5 Million |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-09-17-fi-10421-story.html |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> By mid-decade, Reebok's sales were about $1 billion, and it overtook [[Nike, Inc.]] as the largest athletic shoe manufacturer in the US before losing the top position in 1988.<ref name="wsj05">{{cite news |last1=Berman |first1=Dennis K. |last2=Kang |first2=Stephanie |last3=Karnitsching |first3=Matthew |date=2005 |title=Adidas Nears Deal to Buy Reebok In Effort to Gain Ground on Nike |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB112304841978003570 |access-date=March 23, 2015}}</ref><ref name="FarrellT" />
 
Reebok worked with fitness professional Gin Miller in the late 1980s to develop Step Reebok, based on Miller's wooden prototype step and her ideas for [[step aerobics]]. The Step was evaluated in physiology trials undertaken by Drs. Lorna and Peter Francis at [[San Diego State University]]. In August 1989 the Step was ready, made in molded plastic by Sports Step of Atlanta with Reebok's name on it,<ref>{{cite news |title=One Step Makes Workouts More Strenuous |newspaper=The Courant |location=Hartford, Connecticut |date=September 18, 1991 |first=Garret |last=Condon}}</ref> and by March 1990, the step aerobics classes were attracting media attention.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/26/sports/on-your-own-step-up-and-down-to-sharper-workouts.html |title=Step Up (and Down) to Sharper Workouts |date=March 26, 1990 |last=Lloyd |first=Barbara |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=C-10}}</ref> Miller promoted Step Reebok in person, touring the U.S. and demonstrating it at exercise studios. Step aerobics became widely popular, helping the company sell many thousands of adjustable-height step devices and millions of high-top shoes with ankle support.<ref name=lesmills/> Step aerobics peaked in 1995 with 11.4 million people exercising in that style.<ref>{{cite news |title=Firming Up Revenues |newspaper=The Courant |location=Hartford, Connecticut |date=April 22, 1999 |first=Vanessa |last=Hua}}</ref>