Puma SE
Company History
Puma History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1948 in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany
When was Puma founded?
Puma was founded in 1948 in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany by Rudolf Dassler, making it 78 years old.
- Founded
- 1948
- Founding place
- Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany
- Founders
- Rudolf Dassler
- Headquarters today
- Herzogenaurach, Germany
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1948–2026)
- Current CEO
- Arthur Hoeld
- Acquisitions
- 3
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1948 | Rudolf Dassler Registers RUDA, Later Renamed PUMA |
| 2014 | Fenty x Puma Partnership Begins |
| 2022 | Bjorn Gulden Departs for Adidas |
| 2023 | Fenty x Puma Partnership Revived |
| 2025 | Arthur Hoeld Becomes CEO |
| 2026 | Anta Sports Agrees to Buy 29.06% Stake |
| 1952 | Super Atom Launch |
| 1968 | Puma King Launch |
| 1986 | Goes Public |
| 1993 | Jochen Zeitz appointed CEO |
| 2007 | Kering Acquisition |
| 2018 | Kering Spin-off |
- Where was Puma founded?
- Puma was founded in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany in 1948. wikidata.org
- Who founded Puma?
- Puma was founded by Rudolf Dassler.
- When did Puma start?
- Puma was founded in 1948.
- How old is Puma?
- Puma is 78 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
In 1948 the Dassler brothers ended their partnership after years of bitter conflict and split their shoe company. Rudolf Dassler set up on the other side of the Aurach river in their German hometown and named his company PUMA. His brother Adolf stayed and named his Adidas. The feud produced two of the world's largest sportswear companies and divided the town for decades.
Founders
Rudolf Dassler
Rudolf Dassler co-founded Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik with his brother Adi in the 1920s. After the brothers fell out during and after World War II, they split the business in 1948. Rudolf set up Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler (RUDA) on the other side of the Aurach river and renamed it PUMA the same year, while Adi founded Adidas. Rudolf ran Puma until his death in 1974, after which his son Armin Dassler took over. Rudolf "Rudi" Dassler was born on March 26, 1898 in Herzogenaurach and died on October 27, 1974. In 1924 he joined the shoe company started by his younger brother Adolf, later the founder of Adidas. Rudolf Dassler was born in 1898.
Key Milestones
Rudolf Dassler Registers RUDA, Later Renamed PUMA
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.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFenty x Puma Partnership Begins
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.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBjorn Gulden Departs for Adidas
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.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFenty x Puma Partnership Revived
Puma and Rihanna announce a revived Fenty x Puma partnership for a three-year term.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgArthur Hoeld Becomes CEO
Following Arne Freundt's departure in April 2025 over strategy disagreements, 26-year Adidas veteran Arthur Hoeld becomes Puma CEO effective July 1, 2025.
Source: nasdaq.comAnta Sports Agrees to Buy 29.06% Stake
Groupe Artémis, the Pinault family holding company, agrees to sell its 29.06% Puma stake to China's Anta Sports for about $1.69 billion (€1.5 billion) in cash (€35 per share). China's market regulator later approved the deal unconditionally. Anta ruled out a full takeover.
Source: businesswire.comJochen Zeitz appointed CEO
Jochen Zeitz became CEO and turned the company around.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgMajor Acquisitions
Scandinavian Tretorn Group
2001Puma acquired Scandinavian Tretorn Group in 2001.
Cobra Golf
2010Puma bought Cobra Golf from Acushnet in 2010 to add golf clubs to its golf apparel and footwear. The combined business operates as COBRA PUMA Golf.
stichd
2011Manages branded apparel and fan merchandise.
Keep researching Puma
Puma Company History FAQ
When and where was Puma founded?
Puma was founded on October 1, 1948, in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany, by Rudolf Dassler under the initial name "Ruda" (combining Rudolf and Dassler), quickly renamed Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler.
What caused the famous split between the Dassler brothers in 1948?
Brothers Rudolf and Adolf "Adi" Dassler ran the Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik in Herzogenaurach, achieving fame at the 1936 Olympics with Jesse Owens. Bitter personal and wartime political rivalries split the brothers in 1948: Rudolf founded Puma on one side of the Aurach river, while Adi founded Adidas on the other.
What was Puma’s first major sports innovation?
In 1952, Puma introduced the "SUPER ATOM", the world’s first soccer boot featuring screw-in studs, developed in collaboration with West German national football coach Sepp Herberger, revolutionizing play on wet pitches.
What is the legacy of the Puma King soccer boot?
Introduced in 1968, the Puma King became the most iconic football boot in sports history, worn by legendary World Cup champions including Pelé (1970), Johan Cruyff (1974), and Diego Maradona (1986).
How did the Puma Suede become a cultural and civil rights icon?
Launched in 1968, the Puma Suede was famously raised on the podium by Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos during their 1968 Mexico City Black Power salute, and later became the signature footwear of 1970s and 1980s hip-hop and b-boy breakdance culture.
How did Jochen Zeitz rescue Puma in the 1990s?
Taking over as CEO in 1993 at just 30 years old, Jochen Zeitz orchestrated a famous turnaround: transforming an almost bankrupt low-price commodity brand into a high-margin, desirable sports lifestyle icon by collaborating with high fashion designers like Jil Sander and Alexander McQueen.
What impact did the Usain Bolt partnership have on Puma?
Signed as a teenager in 2003, Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt broke world records in the 100m and 200m at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics wearing gold Puma spikes, cementing Puma’s position as "The World’s Fastest Sports Brand".
When did Kering acquire and later spin off Puma?
French luxury conglomerate Kering (then PPR) acquired a majority stake in Puma in 2007; in 2018, Kering distributed the vast majority of its Puma shares to its own investors, re-establishing Puma as a fully independent publicly traded athletic brand on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
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