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Company History
Founded 1948 in Herzogenaurach, Germany
In 1948, after years of absolute, vicious hatred, the Dassler brothers completely severed their relationship. They split their highly successful shoe company in half. Rudolf Dassler walked across the Aurach river in their small German town and started a new company, wanting a name that sounded aggressive and fast. He chose 'PUMA'. His brother Adolf stayed behind and named his company 'Adidas'. This large family feud accidentally birthed two of the largest sportswear leaders on earth, triggering a 70-year global corporate war that literally divided their hometown in two.
After splitting from brother Adolf's Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik on January 1, 1948, Rudolf Dassler registers his own company, Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler (RUDA), renamed PUMA Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler within the year.
West Germany's 1954 World Cup win gives Puma global visibility through football boot innovation.
Puma delivers the Telstar for the 1970 FIFA World Cup and has supplied official match balls since.
Puma buys Cobra Golf to expand into golf equipment and add scale against Nike and Adidas.
Rihanna joins Puma as creative director and brand ambassador, launching a partnership that includes the popular Fenty Puma Creeper sneaker; the collaboration runs through 2018.
Puma agrees to sell Cobra Golf to Authentic Brands Group at an undisclosed price, exiting the golf-equipment category.
then-CEO Bjorn Gulden resigns at the end of 2022 to become CEO of rival Adidas; Arne Freundt takes over as Puma CEO with immediate effect.
Puma and Rihanna announce a revived Fenty x Puma partnership for a three-year term.
Following Arne Freundt's departure in April 2025 over strategy disagreements, 26-year Adidas veteran Arthur Hoeld becomes Puma CEO effective July 1, 2025.
Puma reports record FY2025 net sales of EUR24.811 billion.
Puma reports Q1 2026 net sales of about EUR1.86 billion (down 1% currency-adjusted) but operating profit up 19.6% to EUR51.9 million, as CEO Arthur Hoeld's inventory-driven 'reset' improves margins despite soft EMEA demand.
Puma acquired Scandinavian Tretorn Group in 2001.
Puma acquired Cobra Golf to expand into golf equipment and add category scale against rivals Nike and Adidas. Cobra Golf operated as a largely autonomous unit within Puma broader corporate structure throughout the companys ownership period, reflecting the specialized, technical nature of golf-equipment manufacturing relative to Puma core sportswear expertise.
Key historical milestones include the founding by Rudolf Dassler in 1948 in Herzogenaurach, inventing the Atom screw-in stud football boot in 1948, introducing the Formstrip in 1958, Pelé winning World Cups in Puma boots (1958, 1962, 1970), IPO in 1986, Jochen Zeitz turnaround in 1993, Kering acquisition in 2007, Usain Bolt breaking world records in Puma spikes in 2008-2016, Kering spin-off in 2018, and generating over €8.6B in revenue.
Before the 1970 World Cup final kickoff, Brazilian legend Pelé asked the referee to pause the match so he could tie his Puma King boots. As global TV cameras zoomed in on his shoes, millions witnessed the well-known Puma logo, creating one of the most famous guerrilla marketing moments in sports history.
In 1973, Puma designed the 'Puma Clyde' for New York Knicks superstar Walt 'Clyde' Frazier, the first custom signature basketball shoe in history featuring a wider fit, lightweight suede upper, and Frazier's signature stamped in gold script, launching modern sneaker culture.
Sponsored by Puma since age 16, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt became the fastest man in history wearing Puma spikes, winning 8 Olympic gold medals and setting unbreakable 100m (9.58s) and 200m (19.19s) world records at the 2009 Berlin World Championships.
Puma converted into a public stock corporation (Puma AG) and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Börse Frankfurt) in 1986, raising capital to fund international retail expansion and technological innovation.
In the mid-1990s, Jochen Zeitz pioneered high-fashion sportswear collaborations, partnering with avant-garde fashion designer Jil Sander (the first high-fashion sneaker collaboration in 1998) and Alexander McQueen, proving sportswear could be luxury lifestyle fashion.
In July 2011, the company officially completed its legal conversion from a German Aktiengesellschaft (AG) into a European public company (Puma SE), reflecting its multinational workforce, governance structure, and global operations.
Puma's forward vision focuses on solidifying its position among the world's top-3 athletic brands by pioneering sustainable circular materials (RE:SUEDE), advancing Nitro running performance, and shaping global youth culture through sports, music, and motorsport.