adidas Just Had Its Best Quarter Ever. Why That’s Good News for Your Sneaker Budget

3 min read

Part of today’s What You Missed: Thursday, Oct 29.

The hook

“A great quarter for adidas.” That is how CEO Bjørn Gulden opened the company’s third-quarter results on Oct. 29. The numbers back him up: record revenue, record profit and a raised outlook. But the most useful line for shoppers is buried further down, where Gulden admits the lifestyle sneaker market has too much stock.

What happened

Per adidas’ official release:
– Record revenue. Third-quarter revenue reached 7.252 billion euros, up 9 percent, the highest in the company’s history. In currency-neutral terms, revenue rose 7 percent.
– Record profit. Operating profit rose 37 percent to 1.008 billion euros, the highest quarterly profit on record. Net income from continuing operations rose 48 percent to 711 million euros.
– Direct sales boomed. Direct-to-consumer sales grew 17 percent.
– A raised outlook. adidas now expects full-year operating profit of around 2.5 billion euros, up from around 2.3 billion euros.

Footwear News, via WWD, adds the regional picture. Sales in North America rose 14 percent to 1.47 billion euros, Greater China rose 20 percent and Latin America rose 29 percent. Europe, the company’s biggest market, fell 4 percent to 2.24 billion euros. Apparel sales rose 22 percent to 2.9 billion euros, while footwear was flat at 3.83 billion euros.

The line shoppers should read

In the release, Gulden said: “Yes, the footwear lifestyle business is currently challenging, mainly due to too much inventory and too much discounting in the marketplace, but we know this will soon normalize again.” Footwear News reports adidas said Europe was “impacted by the company’s conservative sell-in approach amid high inventory levels in the marketplace and promotional activity in the lifestyle footwear market.”

In plain English: there are a lot of lifestyle sneakers sitting in stores, and retailers are discounting them.

RelatedPandora Just Had Its Best Quarter in a While. Here’s What It Means for Your Holiday Jewelry Budget

Why people care

adidas has been on a long comeback, and this quarter is its strongest proof yet. The brand is winning in football, running and training, Gulden says, and its new apparel collections are “globally in high demand.” For fans, it means adidas has the money and momentum to keep pushing collaborations and new product.

What it means for you

• Shopping. Gulden’s own words describe a buyer’s market for lifestyle sneakers. Do not pay full price for retro runners this holiday. Check outlets, end-of-season sales and resale before checkout.
• Apparel is the hot side. With apparel sales up 22 percent, expect the most-wanted adidas pieces this season to be clothes, not shoes. Tracksuits and jerseys are the items more likely to sell out.
• Styling. Sporty pieces with tailoring remain the easy LA look. A track jacket over a slip dress or with pleated trousers works from Silver Lake coffee to a West Hollywood dinner.
• Money. If you invest in sneakers for resale, be careful. Extra inventory and discounting usually push resale prices down.
• Career. For LA retail workers and buyers, apparel strength plus footwear discounting means floor sets and orders will tilt toward clothing.

Our take (opinion)

The headline is the record, but the honest admission is the bigger story. A CEO saying the market has “too much inventory and too much discounting” in his own results release is rare. Shoppers should take him at his word: the deals are out there, and patience pays.

Sources

• adidas Group, Oct. 29, 2026: adidas achieves record results in the third quarter of 2026 and increases full-year profit outlook
• Footwear News via WWD, Oct. 29, 2026: Adidas Confirms Record-Breaking Q3 Results, Raises Guidance
• Back to today’s roundup: What You Missed: Thursday, Oct 29

Photo: Headline screenshot of adidas’ official release, Oct. 29, 2026, linked above.

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