The Chinese sports brand taking on Nike and Adidas

anta, a chinese sportswear company founded in 1991 by ding shizhong, is trying to take on nike and adidas globally. ding started with 600 pairs of shoes in the late 1980s. anta now owns arc'teryx, salomon, and a 29% stake in puma. anta has over 10,000 shops in china and more than 460 outlets abroad. in february, it opened its first us store in beverly hills. the company sponsors athletes like freestyle skier eileen gu. it listed on the hong kong stock exchange in 2007, raising about hkd 3.5bn. anta's rise comes as nike and adidas face challenges from us tariffs and slow demand in china. anta's strategy is to use its western brands as a gateway rather than forcing its own label. "we're realistic about the competition but the global sportswear landscape is not a zero-sum game," an anta spokesperson said.