1987 — Herbert Hainer joins Adidas Germany as sales director.
1991 — He is promoted to the position of national sales director for Adidas Germany.
1996 — Hainer is named SVP for Europe, Africa and the Middle East for the Adidas Group.
1997 — Adidas acquires Salomon Group, which includes TaylorMade. The name of the company is officially changed to Adidas-Salomon AG.
— Adidas signs David Beckham to a long-term endorsement contract.
1999 — Hainer named deputy chairman and COO of Adidas-Salomon AG.
2001 — He is appointed CEO and chairman of the executive board at Adidas-Salomon AG.
2002 — Adidas and Salomon athletes win a combined 191 medals at the Winter Olympic Games, with Adidas outfitting more than half of the competing athletes.
2003 — Hainer honored with Germany’s prestigious Bambi award in the business category for his successful management of the Adidas brand.
2004 — Adidas launches its largest brand-building initiative to date, the $50 million “Impossible Is Nothing” campaign, with spots featuring sports greats Beckham, Muhammad Ali and Haile Gebreselassie.
— Adidas makes products for 26 out of the 28 Olympic sports, and athletes wearing the brand win 147 gold, 73 silver and 93 bronze medals.
— Adidas signs British design darling Stella McCartney to a long-term contract for Adidas by Stella McCartney, a full-range sport performance line for women. It launches at retail for spring ’05.
— Footwear News names Adidas Marketer of the Year (and again
in 2011).
2005 — The Salomon Group is sold and the new Adidas Group focuses on its athletic footwear and apparel, but keeps TaylorMade-Adidas Golf.
— Adidas announces it will acquire Canton, Mass.-based Reebok International Ltd. for $3.8 billion in a bid to bolster its U.S. market share.
— Adidas is selected as the Company of the Year by FN.
2006 — Adidas closes its acquisition of Reebok. Hainer annouces a plan to invest heavily in the struggling brand.
2008 — As official sportswear provider for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Adidas supplies 3 million products to more than 100,000 federations, volunteers and others, and more than 3,000 athletes compete in the brand.
— Adidas launches Originals by Originals, a 24-style collection of fashion-forward shoes from designers Jeremy Scott, Alyasha Moore and Kazuki Kuraishi.
2009 — Adidas Originals launches its “60 Years of Soles & Stripes” campaign to commemorate the Adidas brand’s 60th anniversary.
— Hainer’s contract as CEO of Adidas Group is extended due to his major contributions to the growth and success of the brand.
— Reebok launches EasyTone wellness footwear.
2010 — The Adidas Group presents its “Route 2015” strategic business plan for expansion, innovation and sales growth in all of its brands.
2011 — Outdoor footwear specialty brand Five Ten is acquired, which adds to the Adidas Group’s outdoor category platform.
— Reebok agrees to pay $25 million to settle a deceptive advertising charge by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
— Hainer receives the 2011 Global Leadership Award from the American Institute of Contemporary German Studies for his leadership of the Adidas brand.
2012 — Chicago Bull Derrick Rose renews his contract with Adidas for a long-term deal reportedly worth as much as $250 million, making him one of the highest-paid endorsers in the NBA.
