$290 million "captured" Wolf Claw, what move has ANTA made?

ANTA SPORTS (02020) makes another significant move in its "single focus, multi-brand, globalization" strategy.

According to Zhitong Finance APP, on April 10, 2025, ANTA SPORTS announced the full acquisition of the well-known German outdoor brand Jack Wolfskin for a base price of USD 290 million. This acquisition is a key step in ANTA SPORTS' strategic layout and is expected to bring multi-dimensional synergies, helping to outline a new development blueprint in the global sports goods market.

Enhancing the Outdoor Sports Landscape and Deepening Global Layout

Guided by the "single focus, multi-brand, globalization" strategy, ANTA Group has gradually built a large and diverse brand matrix, covering multiple sports segments and occupying a leading position in the sports goods market. In 2024, the total revenue of ANTA Group and Amer Sports exceeded 100 billion for the first time, reaching CNY 108.58 billion. According to Euromonitor data, in 2024, ANTA Group's market share in China's sports brand market reached 23%, ranking first in the industry.

However, as the global sports consumption market shows trends of segmentation and diversification, ANTA still has significant "reinforcement" space in the mass outdoor market. Jack Wolfskin, as a well-known mass outdoor brand, has a wide consumer base and strong market influence due to its excellent product quality and unique design. Therefore, for ANTA, acquiring Jack Wolfskin becomes an ideal choice to enhance its layout in the mass outdoor market. This is undoubtedly a key move for ANTA to improve its outdoor sports layout, not only enriching brand resources in the mass outdoor market and expanding coverage but also promoting ANTA's comprehensive and in-depth development in this field.

From a deeper perspective, Jack Wolfskin, as a benchmark brand in the European outdoor market, focuses on the "pan-outdoor lifestyle" with affordable pricing, creating a clear differentiation from ANTA's existing high-end outdoor brand, Arc'teryx. This differentiation is not merely a simple market distinction but a carefully constructed market strategy by ANTA. It enables ANTA to achieve full coverage from high-end to mass in the outdoor sports field, meeting the needs of different consumer groups and further consolidating its overall competitiveness in the sports market.

From the perspective of global layout, the value of Jack Wolfskin is further highlighted. Jack Wolfskin has a strong market foundation in the European market, especially in German-speaking regions, with a high penetration rate in malls and communities. As of January 2025, it has 495 specialty stores worldwide, with 226 located in Europe, 269 in Asia, and over 4,000 retail points globally With the brand influence and extensive sales channels of Jack Wolfskin, ANTA can more smoothly enter the international market, enhance its visibility and market share in the international arena, accelerate its globalization process, and make significant strides towards its goal of becoming a world-leading multi-brand sports goods group.

Unleashing Brand Multiplicative Effects to Expand Global Influence

It is noteworthy that while ANTA is completing its outdoor sports landscape and deepening its global layout through the acquisition of Jack Wolfskin, it is also focusing on the multiplicative effects brought by brand synergy development to further expand the boundaries of its global influence.

According to Zhitong Finance APP, the achievements of ANTA Group in multi-brand operations are evident, backed by its mature brand management and retail operation system. For example, under ANTA's operation, FILA successfully pioneered the high-end fashion sports track in China, with its brand footprint expanding to nearly 30 billion; Descente, with the support of ANTA, opened the highest-performing store globally, growing into a brand poised to reach 10 billion; after being acquired by ANTA, Amer Sports completed its "five billion euros" goal ahead of schedule within five years through brand strategy reshaping and successfully returned to the international capital market with a listing in the U.S. in 2024. In 2024, Amer Sports' revenue is expected to grow by 18% to $5.183 billion. These success stories not only prove ANTA's strength but also provide valuable experience for its future development.

Now, the acquisition of Jack Wolfskin provides ANTA with a new opportunity to replicate its successful experience. Since entering the Chinese market in 2007, Jack Wolfskin has continuously enhanced its market recognition with outstanding quality and unique design. However, to further deepen its presence in the Chinese market, stronger operational capabilities are needed. ANTA Group's "brand + retail" business model can provide strong support for Jack Wolfskin.

Through brand reshaping, retail channel optimization, and product promotion strategy adjustments for Jack Wolfskin, ANTA can fully tap into the brand's value. It is foreseeable that under ANTA's operation, Jack Wolfskin will strengthen its localized operations, gain a deeper understanding of Chinese consumers' needs and preferences, make targeted adjustments to products, and effectively enhance sales and brand influence in the Chinese market through an integrated online and offline sales model. The success of Jack Wolfskin in the Chinese market will also benefit ANTA, driving overall performance growth and enhancing the group's voice in the global sports goods industry. This series of chain reactions is the multiplicative effect generated by brand synergy, propelling ANTA to expand its influence boundaries globally.

Integrating Cutting-Edge Technology to Lead Industry Development

In today's sports goods industry, technological innovation is the core driving force for enterprise development. Ding Shizhong, Chairman of ANTA Group, has emphasized that "good products" lead to "good brands," and the creation of "good products" relies on strong support from cutting-edge technology. This concept aligns closely with ANTA's strategic layout in acquiring Jack Wolfskin.

Zhitong Finance APP has learned that Jack Wolfskin has made significant achievements in functional technology research and development, with its TEXAPORE waterproof and breathable technology being at the industry-leading level. This technology has been widely applied in product lines such as jackets and hiking shoes, and has now reached its third generation, with a waterproof index of up to 20,000mm, maintaining excellent waterproof performance while ensuring breathability After Anta's acquisition of Jack Wolfskin, it can introduce this advanced technology into the product development of other brands within the group, enhancing the technological content and product competitiveness of the entire group in the outdoor category. This not only provides consumers with a better product experience but also allows Anta to stand out in the fierce market competition.

It is worth mentioning that Jack Wolfskin's German engineering design team, combined with Anta Group's large-scale supply chain and digital capabilities, has formed a collaborative innovation model of "European technology + Asian manufacturing." The advantages of this model are evident: it not only helps Jack Wolfskin reduce production costs, improve production efficiency, and optimize global inventory turnover but also promotes technological exchange and cooperation among different brands within the group. Driven by this innovative model, the entire group continues to innovate in the field of sports technology, solidifying Anta's technological leadership advantage in the global sporting goods market.

Adapting to Consumer Trends and Exploring New Growth Drivers

From improving the outdoor sports layout to releasing brand synergy effects and integrating cutting-edge technology, every step of Anta's acquisition of Jack Wolfskin has been steady and solid. In a dynamic market environment, consumer trends are a key force that cannot be ignored. Anta is taking advantage of this trend to explore new growth engines and drive the company forward.

In 2022, the General Administration of Sport of China, the National Development and Reform Commission, and other eight departments jointly issued the "Outdoor Sports Industry Development Plan (2022-2025)," proposing a target for the total scale of the outdoor sports industry to exceed 3 trillion yuan by 2025. The scale of China's outdoor equipment market has also increased from 67.5 billion yuan in 2019 to 87.2 billion yuan in 2023.

These data highlight consumers' growing enthusiasm for outdoor sports and their strong demand for outdoor products that combine functionality and fashion. Jack Wolfskin's positioning as "mass outdoor" and its rich product line, covering various scenarios such as hiking, cycling, skiing, and camping, align closely with current consumer trends. By integrating group resources to leverage synergy effects, Anta provides consumers with a richer and higher-quality range of outdoor products to meet diverse needs, further stimulating the market and driving the group's continuous expansion in the outdoor market.

Practicing ESG Concepts and Strengthening Sustainable Development Barriers

In the fierce market competition, Anta not only focuses on business expansion and seizing market opportunities but also deeply understands the significance of corporate social responsibility for long-term development. As sustainable development becomes an important direction for global enterprises, ESG concepts have become a crucial measure of corporate development.

It is reported that Jack Wolfskin launched the Ecosphere environmental protection series as early as 2010, using eco-friendly materials such as recycled fishing nets and recycled polyester from plastic bottles. Currently, eco-friendly products account for over 40%, and it has committed to completely eliminating virgin polyester by 2025. Its "zero harm" animal protection policy has also been recognized as an industry benchmark by international animal welfare organizations. After Anta's acquisition of Jack Wolfskin, it will further strengthen its practices in the field of sustainable development. From raw material procurement and product production to sales, it will fully integrate environmental protection concepts to enhance the environmental attributes of its products.

This initiative not only aligns with consumers' increasing attention to and demand for eco-friendly products, helping to enhance brand reputation, but also meets the capital market's requirements for corporate ESG performance, enhancing the company's long-term investment value and winning broader recognition and support for Anta in the global market In the long run, this is a key step for ANTA SPORTS to shape a good corporate image and achieve sustainable development, complementing other strategic initiatives and jointly promoting ANTA's steady growth in the global sports goods industry.

In summary, ANTA's acquisition of Jack Wolfskin is a move of profound strategic significance. From improving the outdoor sports landscape and unleashing brand multiplier effects to integrating cutting-edge technology, aligning with consumer trends, and practicing ESG principles, all aspects are closely interconnected, forming an organic whole. Through multidimensional collaboration, ANTA is expected to continue high-quality development, constantly break through in the global sports goods industry, redefine the industry landscape, and embark on a new journey in the global sports industry