When Adidas and Pumas Were Like Hatfields and McCoys

A German Town Long Divided Over Shoes Finally Agrees to a Truce

Where Adidas and Pumas Were Like Hatfields and McCoys - WSJ


Excerpt:

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany—In this sleepy town, business isn’t just business—it’s a family feud over sneakers.


The Bavarian backwater is home to sportswear makers Adidas AG and Puma SE . And like many families, it is broken.


For nearly 70 years, folks living south of the river sported the Adidas three-stripe logo, socialized with Adidas-wearing friends and shopped at butchers and bakeries where nobody in Puma gear would dare set foot. It was like the Hatfields and McCoys.


People living north of the river did the same, but with allegiance to Puma. Herzogenaurach became known as “the city of bent necks” because everyone’s first gaze was at other people’s shoes.

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