Closed Stores, "Crashing Stocks", Postponed Launches - How The Coronavirus Pandemic Affects Adidas, Puma & Nike
On Tuesday, UEFA announced that the UEFA EURO is postponed to 2021 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. With the decision, the hope of both clubs and fans arose that the domestic and international club competitions could be completed until June 30, even though without spectators most likely. The Coronavirus Pandemic nevertheless already had big impact on the business of all involved in soccer, especially the brands and clubs.
Coronavirus Pandemic - Impacts On Brands And Clubs
Postponed EURO & Copa America
With the EURO and Copa America postponed to 2021, it is safe to assume that brands will generate less sales with the kits. However, those sales could be recuperated next year. The Olympics are also anything but certain to take place this year, another big uncertainty for all involved. from players over brands to fans.
Closed Stores
In many countries worldwide, all stores not critical for infrastructure and daily needs had to be closed. Adidas, Nike and Puma all announced that they will close stores for at least around two weeks.
With love, Your Nike Family pic.twitter.com/IRqkOyXgX6
— nikelondon (@nikelondon) March 15, 2020
Shopping online is still possible, and with delivery from warehouses not affected yet players can still get their gear...
Falling Stocks of Brands And Soccer Clubs
The Coronavirus Pandemic has heavily hit stock markets. The share prices of almost all companies collapsed, with those of sporting goods companies like Adidas, Nike and Puma losing almost 50 %, meaning that the companies have almost lost half of their previous market value.
The stocks of soccer clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Juventus both nearly halved in the past month.
Switch Of Kit Supplier During Season?
With the 2019-2020 season almost certainly has to be extended beyond the regular dates, we could see some kit supplier switches that happen during the season. In example and most famously, Liverpool's contract with New Balance runs only until May 31. If the Premier League season runs until mid-June, Liverpool would likely switch to Nike jerseys during the season.
I imagine it will change, the contracts will have dates, not down to season. For example, in South America the new kits drop half way through the season. Boca is a prime case. Also, Man Utd wore Nike gear in preseason before changing to adidas.
— Marcus Dilley (@MDill38) March 14, 2020
Other club's contract, including those with players and brands, usually run until June 30. So if the season would end before that date, there won't be many problems.
Delivery Problems
Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, there already have been some delivery difficulties for teams. In example, Düsseldorf has some delivery issues with an upcoming special-edition jersey, while USL club Oklahoma City Energy FC released their third kit instead of their home and away.
Nothing about the big 2020-2021 releases and the production of the kits has been announced by any brand officially yet. Adidas, Puma and Nike usually start the production of next season's (2020-21) around March. Most kits are produced in far East, including countries like China that have been heavily affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Postponed Releases
As of now, we think it is already certain that many of the scheduled 2020 international kit releases will be postponed, at least until an end or at least an improvement of the Coronavirus Pandemic is in sight.
Do you think that football matches will be played without spectators in the near future? Do you think that the football business will fully recover from the Coronavirus Pandemic? Will some clubs go bankrupt? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
