Anta, the Chinese sportswear brand acquiring its foreign rivals to conquer the Western market.

In just a few years, the Chinese group Anta Sports has established itself as a major player in the global sports market. Its strategy is largely based on acquiring well-known international brands, such as Fila, Salomon, and Arc’teryx, and then expanding them in China and abroad. According to Sandrine Zerbib, former head of Adidas in China and an expert on the Chinese market, this success reflects a major transformation in the sports industry.

She points out that in the past, sport in China was mainly seen as a school activity or a leisure pursuit. Today, sport is increasingly associated with health and well-being. This change in habits, which has accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic, is supporting market growth. Chinese consumers are also looking for more specialized and technical products, particularly for hiking, trail running, and outdoor activities. Technical performance has therefore become a key factor of differentiation and, for some consumers, even a symbol of social status.

Sandrine Zerbib also highlights the importance of the strategic decisions made by Anta Sports. When she left Adidas in 2010 to set up her own consulting firm, Anta’s co-founder, Ding Shizhong, asked her to explore the company’s opportunities for expansion in the United States. Her analysis concluded that the U.S. market was already highly competitive and that the risk of failure was significant for a Chinese brand that was still relatively unknown.

Faced with this challenge, Anta chose a different approach: rather than directly introducing its own brand into Western markets, the group acquired already well-established brands and positioned them more firmly in the premium segment. This strategy allows Anta to benefit from their heritage, brand image, distribution networks, as well as their technical expertise and patents.

Sandrine Zerbib emphasizes, however, one essential point: preserving the identity and credibility of the acquired brands. In Salomon’s case, for example, the design teams have remained in Annecy. According to her, completely relocating these activities could have destroyed part of the value and authenticity that Anta had invested in. Mass production can remain in Asia, while strategic expertise, design, and certain areas of know-how remain connected to the brand’s country of origin.

This approach ultimately sums up a large part of Anta Sports’ strategy: combining the efficiency and strength of the Chinese market with the heritage of international brands. The group is therefore not simply seeking to acquire foreign companies, but also to develop them while preserving what makes them unique. This approach has enabled Anta to gradually build a strong international portfolio, although moving the Anta brand itself upmarket remains more difficult to achieve among consumers.