Adidas reports Olympic sales boost of 24% in Britain

What’s the value of an Olympic presence for the brands that sponsor and outfit the athletes? According to German sportswear maker Adidas, it’s worth at least a 24% bump in sales.

The company announced Friday that its British sales were up that much (on a currency-neutral basis) for the first half of 2012, “spurred by demand for Olympic and Team GB products,” and up 11% globally, to about $8.95 billion, in the same period.

It’s worth noting that in addition to providing apparel and gear for 3,000 athletes in 25 of the 26 Olympic sports (including the U.S. men’s and women’s gymnastics teams) Adidas’ sponsorship role as “Official Sportswear Partner of London 2012,” meant the company outfitted more than 80,000 additional people, including Games officials, staff and volunteers.

Further, Adidas reports that the sale of licensed Olympic products in Britain were up 250%, compared with the Beijing Games in 2008.

“Our presence in and around the Olympic Games was fantastic,” Adidas Group CEO Herbert Hainer said in the announcement. “It translates into record Olympic merchandise sales and a record year for the Adidas Group in the UK.”

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