adidas has launched a new share buyback program through its new strategy ‘Own the Game.’

The brand aims to generate substantial cumulative free cash flow over the next five years. It plans to share the majority of this – between € 8 billion and € 9 billion – with its shareholders through regular dividend pay-outs in a range of between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of net income from continuing operations, complemented with share buybacks.

Against this background and with the approval of the Supervisory Board, the Executive Board of adidas AG has decided today to launch a new share buyback program in the second half of 2021.

Starting on July 1, 2021, the company plans to buy back shares worth up to € 550 million until the end of the year. Taking into consideration the dividend payment of € 585 million which was made in May, the total amount of cash which the company will return to its shareholders in 2021 is expected to exceed € 1 billion.