ASICS

ASICS celebrates its best year ever 📈 FY2024 was a record year for ASICS. Record net sales of 678.5 billion yen (+18.9%). Record operating profits of 100.1 billion yen (+84.7%). And a record operating margin of 14.8% (+5.3ppt). Our best year ever came as we competed to be No.1 globally in Performance Running and Tennis. As our OneASICS membership program reached 17 million people. And as our product and marketing teams found new ways to bring our #SoundMindSoundBody philosophy to life. There’s much more to come in 2025, with new record highs forecast at every stage and more exciting announcements that will move bodies and minds. View highlights below or see all results in our latest Consolidated Financial Summary: https://lnkd.in/gMwRcg2w #InsideASICS

Imagine a machine with over a thousand moving parts. That can perform hundreds of actions. And is available in 8 billion models, each of them unique. The ASICS Institute of Sport Science in Japan has one of the world’s largest datasets on the bodies and motions of athletes in various sports. It holds over 100,000 pieces of data on running motion alone and foot shape data on over 2 million people. This data is the foundation of human-centric science, the driving force behind structural design, material development, and product development at ASICS. Human-centric science is dedicated to understanding how the body moves, how it changes over time, and how injuries occur. Each ASICS shoe balances different functions: cushioning, stability, grip, flexibility, fit, durability, breathability, and lightness. Not just for different sports, but for different levels and goals. For example, a shoe designed for beginning runners might prioritize cushioning and stability, while a shoe for advanced runners might prioritize breathability, lightness, and bounce. In the coming months, we’ll be sharing more from the ASICS Institute of Sport Science. Whatever your level as an athlete, follow ASICS on LinkedIn to learn more about the science of shoes. #ASICSISS #SportScience

The latest CDP climate disclosure ratings are based on data collected from 24,800 companies worldwide. So how did ASICS perform? We’re now officially on CDP’s “Climate A List” with our first ever A rating, up from A- last year. This is in recognition of our commitment to sustainability, particularly climate change response, in all our business operations, and our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain. Read the press release in full: https://lnkd.in/gCzj-UJr

What a turnaround. FY24 results released today confirm ASICS as one of the most profitable sports brands in the world. In 2024, ASICS exceeded 100 billion yen in operating profit for the first time in our history, with a gross margin of 55.8% and a record operating margin of 14.8%. Key factors included a focus on high-end products in Performance Running and strong sales growth of SportStyle and Onitsuka Tiger worldwide. Record profitability was achieved alongside double-digit growth in spending on advertising and human resources as we continue to invest in our partners and people. Read about our FY24 results and FY25 forecast in our Consolidated Financial Summary: https://lnkd.in/gMwRcg2w #InsideASICS

Our new “Limited Series” line is inspired by Kabuki makeup. Bold designs across all items express the dynamic artistry of Japanese Kabuki theater. The color palette is rich with symbolism; passionate reds and mysterious blues enhance the narrative woven through the fabric. Each item, from singlet to jackets and shorts, features ASICS' ACTIBREEZE™ technology for superior comfort and breathability. Founded in Kobe, Japan in 1949, ASICS has grown into a global brand while remaining true to our Japanese heritage. This new line is testament to our commitment to innovation, craftsmanship and cultural authenticity, expressing ASICS' Japanese roots in a contemporary way. It’s sure to turn heads, whatever stage you run on 🏃🏼♂️ #ASICSRunning

In the last 12 months, ASICS has made great strides towards diversifying its shareholder base. Why do we think this is important? More diversity in investor behavior typically results in more stable share prices. This in turn lowers capital costs and enables us to make deeper investments in scientific research, digital services, and other initiatives that support a #SoundMindSoundBody. In 2024, as part of our efforts to transition away from large “silent” shareholders to more individual and institutional investors, we announced a large-scale secondary offering. We also ran ad campaigns targeting individual investors and produced content designed to turn more ASICS shareholders into lifelong ASICS fans. Our efforts have now been recognized. ASICS has just been awarded “Deal of the Year 2024” in the Equity category by Nikkei Veritas, one of Japan’s leading publications specializing in financial news and investing. A warm welcome to all our new shareholders who joined in 2024. You can read more about this award in our press release here: https://lnkd.in/g24fZNfX #InsideASICS

ASICS executives do their instore training 📦 At a busy ASICS store in Tokyo, new stock arrives each morning and must be unpacked and sorted before the doors open. Retail work is nonstop and critical to both business and brand, which is why we recommend this kind of hands-on experience for all employees, including our most senior executives. Chairman & CEO Yasuhito Hirota helps with the unpacking and learns about visual merchandising. Managing Executive Officer Tomoko Koda keeps things moving, while President of ASICS Japan Masashi 'Masa' Abe is sent on a mission to the stockroom. Last year, 17 ASICS executives completed similar training. As well as gaining valuable insights, they experienced what our hardworking staff go through every day of the year to make an ASICS store as welcoming to customers as always. Would you like to see more CEOs do the same? #TeamASICS

More than 22 billion pairs of shoes are produced each year, and most will eventually end up in landfill. So what is ASICS doing about it? While we still have much to do and learn, ASICS has been pursuing two approaches to circular manufacturing in recent years. Circularity goes beyond the trendy use of recycled materials in products. It requires us to rethink manufacturing and eliminate waste by creating circular flows of materials in society. One approach is to re-circulate our own materials. Launched in 2024, our NEOCURVE™ sneaker is made from defective and unsold stock from our own bins. The entire process of grinding, materialization and manufacturing takes place within the EU, and the sneaker is sold only in Europe. We’ve learned that we can re-purpose a wide variety of materials and create local loops that don’t rely on air or ocean transport. Another approach is to make shoes more recyclable. Also launched in 2024, our NIMBUS MIRAI™ running shoe has a single-material polyester upper that can be detached from the sole, chemically recycled, and remade ready to run again. This demonstration of closed loop recycling is our biggest step yet towards circularity. We’ve learned that where the circular infrastructure doesn’t exist, we need to step up and provide it ourselves, in this case a free return and recycling program. Neither approach is technically perfect, but we’re learning from them. Composite materials and the high demands placed on athletic footwear present a significant challenge. The goal is to realize a circular footwear economy in which old shoes are turned into new shoes, with no loss of quality. Step by step, we’re getting there. To achieve a sound mind in a sound body, we need a sound earth. #Footwear #Circularity *Global footwear production: 22.4 billion pairs (World Footwear Yearbook 2024)

During the Australian Open, I visited the ASICS Oceania office for a catch-up with our regional Managing Director Mark Brunton and his team. Australia is a thriving market for ASICS. We already hold the No.1 spot in Performance Running and several other sports, and I was impressed by how hard Mark’s team is pushing to grow our market share in Skateboarding and Soccer. We’ve also deepened our relationship with the market by providing uniforms to the Australian Olympic Team in 2020 and 2024. On this visit, I also took a tour of one of the most automated ASICS warehouses in the world. Australia is ahead of the curve in technology and the business culture is efficient and results-driven. Everyone I met was enthused by our digital strategy and the potential of OneASICS to unify our entire business operations. But what I love most about being in Australia is the environment, which feels perfectly suited to our #SoundMindSoundBody philosophy. I could sense that embodied in the local team as well. People here really know how to achieve the right balance. Time saved by technology equals more time to enjoy life. Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

How do the markets view ASICS’ dramatic turnaround? Approaching the end of the 2010s, ASICS found itself in the doldrums. We had failed to keep pace with digitalization. And our vertically siloed organization meant a lack of communication between product retail and product development, and inadequate management of our own retail stores. The turnaround since then has been dramatic. A transition to category-based management, a renewed focus on Performance Running, promotion of digitalization through OneASICS, and the establishment of a Running Ecosystem. Just some of the changes that have driven a fivefold increase in market value over the last 24 months. In fact, we had begun making the hard decisions in 2018, years before the results would show up in the markets. Our CFO Koji Hayashi recently sat down for a dialogue with Kazushige Okuno of Norinchukin Value Investments about ASICS’ road to recovery and the road ahead. See the highlights below, then read the full dialogue on pages 42-43 of our most recent Integrated Report: https://lnkd.in/gwhXi6fP #InsideASICS