Adidas Plans Cheaper Versions of Popular Shoes

Adidas sneakers and other shoes for sale are pictured at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Adidas sneakers and other shoes for sale are pictured at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
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Adidas Plans Cheaper Versions of Popular Shoes

Adidas sneakers and other shoes for sale are pictured at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Adidas sneakers and other shoes for sale are pictured at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Adidas is launching cheaper versions of its three-striped shoes like the white and black suede Samba as it aims to spread the trend, CEO Bjorn Gulden said on Thursday at the company's annual shareholders' meeting in Germany.
"It's important to understand that not everyone can afford to buy a shoe for 120 or 150, but everyone wants to take part in the same trends," Gulden told investors in a presentation in Furth, near Adidas' headquarters in Herzogenaurach.
Adidas will offer similar versions of the Samba and other shoes for $60 to $80, more affordable entry points than the $100 to $150 price tag for the main shoe lines, according to a presentation slide shown by Gulden.
"What we do at the top, 100 and higher, we're bringing that down. So, for Foot Locker, for Intersport, and for Deichmann, we've also got something to offer," Reuters quoted Gulden as saying.



Shein to Open Pop-up Store in South Africa to Woo More Shoppers

A view of a Shein pop-up store at a mall in Singapore April 4, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a Shein pop-up store at a mall in Singapore April 4, 2024. (Reuters)
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Shein to Open Pop-up Store in South Africa to Woo More Shoppers

A view of a Shein pop-up store at a mall in Singapore April 4, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a Shein pop-up store at a mall in Singapore April 4, 2024. (Reuters)

Fast-fashion giant Shein, known for its $5 tops and $10 dresses, will open a pop-up store in Johannesburg, South Africa in August as the online retailer aims to expand its brand recognition in the country.

Shein, founded in China, and its rival Temu have aggressively expanded worldwide as online shopping has surged after the COVID pandemic. They have been accused of exploiting tax loopholes by exporting China-made products in small quantities to avoid higher duties.

Shein will open its pop-up store from Aug. 2-11 as an "exhibition space" for customers to try on trendy fashion and lifestyle products and order them online at a discount, the company said in its South African Instagram post on Tuesday.

Local influencers were tapped for a pre-opening marketing campaign.

Brick-and-mortar and online fashion retailers have urged South African regulators to impose a 45% import duty on all clothing item imports, no matter the price, to level the playing field. Shein, which is planning to go public in Britain, taps a network of largely China-based suppliers which take small initial orders and scale up based on demand.

A Shein spokesperson told Reuters the retailer is engaging with South African regulators to ensure its continued compliance with local laws.

"That said, such tax measures are not critical to the success of our business or the competitive prices we offer our consumers. We keep our prices affordable through our technology-based on-demand business model and flexible supply chain," the spokesperson added.