Adidas AG (OTC:ADDYY) Q3 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

Right now we are finished around 8000 to 9000, point of sales in China. And this is what we are evaluating going into next year, as well there, that we make sure that we are closing unprofitable stores, and make sure that we not just have fewer points of sales, but also bigger point of sales, and differentiating these points of sales through the category of setups. And that’s what we’re focusing on. So we believe this might not be the end. But from a former _ point of view, we’re getting close to the end, because it will be more impactful stores going forward. But that’s probably the size that we have 8000 to 9000.

Warwick Okines: Thanks very much.

Operator: Next question is from the line of Adam Cochrane from Deutsche Bank. Please go ahead.

Adam Cochrane: Hi. Good afternoon. A question on the business improvement plan. You talked about the €700 million benefit. Is this an annualized number? Or are these programs all taking place in the next couple of months? So that they benefit from the first of January? Or do they build throughout the year? Just give us some flavor for how that develops over the quarters? And then secondly, a number of people asking about how the Yeezy product lines will work? Is the plan just to rebrand them as Adidas and can you achieve the same price points, etcetera? What are you at the moment at least intending to do about that? Thanks.

Harm Ohlmeyer: Yes. First of the Business Improvement Program, I mean, clearly look at the €700 million as an annualized number for 2023. So these things have started already a couple of months ago, knowing what’s coming towards us. So it’s clearly an analyze numbers, but it’s in the motion already. But analyzed for 20’23. And on Yeezy, very clearly, I want to repeat again, that we are the sole owner of the IP rights, of current and future colorways. And of course, we have a lot of things in the archive as well. So definitely the different plans that we have getting right now, again, too early to say when and how we come up with these plans, but it’s definitely current products, but also future products and as you say, not under the Yeezy label, but we also look at the current inventory that is relevant enough to close the gap in 2023 compared to ’22.

Adam Cochrane: Okay. Thanks.

Operator: Next question is from the line of Geoff Lowery from Redburn. Please go ahead.

Geoff Lowery: Hi, team. Just one question please on China. Do you have any sense of what the sell out of your product is in the market? Because obviously, we see a blended number between your selling and your D2C operations. But do you have any flavor to sell out is? And secondly, on China, your comment about global inventories being normalized by the middle of next year. Does that also apply to China specifically? Many thanks.

Kasper Rorsted: Yes, Geoff, first on China. Yes, we have visibility of sell out. One indication that we said on the call, as well retail 7% up. And of course, as we are taking products back, we get fresher product in and whenever we do that, and it’s not, because they got €20 million in Q3 and €200 million in Q4, but whenever we clean the marketplace and create space for new product, the sell out is improving, of course, in a much better way than the net sales are showing, because sell out the fresh products. That’s what we’re seeing. And then yes, it relates on the inventory cleanup in China as well. It will not be clean by the end of the year. But it’s similar to what I said across the board for North America, Europe, and China, we also expecting to be at a much cleaner level by the mid of next year which gives us depending on the zero carbon policy and everything, but definitely a cleaner start going into next year.