The Chinese Sports Brand Taking on Nike and Adidas
Thursday, 2026/04/30237 words3 minutes900 reads
When China's economy began opening up in the late 1980s, 17-year-old high school dropout Ding Shizhong traveled to Beijing with 600 pairs of shoes manufactured in a relative's factory. The proceeds from selling them funded his first workshop, where he began producing footwear for other companies. This modest beginning would eventually evolve into Anta, a sportswear powerhouse challenging Nike and Adidas globally.
Founded in 1991 in Jinjiang city, Fujian province, Anta emerged from China's manufacturing boom. Jinjiang transformed from an agricultural county into the world's "shoe capital," attracting investment from sneaker giants seeking cost-effective overseas production. By 2005, Fujian alone accounted for nearly a fifth of global shoe production. The specialized manufacturing clusters, particularly in Chendai town, brought together suppliers of components and logistics firms, creating unprecedented efficiency.
Anta leveraged this ecosystem to grow from a subcontractor into a recognized brand. After listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2007, raising a record HKD3.5 billion, the company pursued a "multi-brand strategy." It acquired Fila's China rights in 2009, bought a controlling stake in Amer Sports (including Arc'teryx and Salomon) in 2019, and recently purchased 29% of Puma. This approach allows Anta to penetrate Western markets while avoiding the "made in China" stigma. With over 10,000 shops in China and expansion plans for 1,000 outlets in Southeast Asia, Anta is positioning itself as a formidable global competitor, though challenges remain in celebrity endorsements and navigating geopolitical tensions.
