Sales increased by 19.7% currency-adjusted (CA) to €1.912 billion and were up 23.5% on a reported basis. 

Wholesale increased by 23.3% (CA) to €1.528 billion and Direct-to-Consumer was up 7.1% to € 384 million. Sales in owned and operated retail stores increased 21.3% (CA) while e-commerce declined 13.2% as it continued to prioritise its retailers when supply was limited and due to the current market environment in Greater China.

CEO Bjorn Gulden said the figures “confirm our investments into innovation and marketing are paying off”.

That said, he added that such strong results would normally mean the firm raising its outlook for the year. But “given the increased uncertainty in the world, we have decided to stick to our initial outlook from the beginning of this year”.

BUSY QUARTER 

Q1 was a busy time for the brand as it collaborated with French label Ami

Gulden said the firm overcame “all the obstacles and uncertainties” during the curter and saw high demand for its products, “both from retailers and consumers, and our operations people were able to move enough product through a tight supply chain to partly fulfil this increasing demand”.

He was also happy to see growth coming from all product divisions and all business units. 

Regionally, the company saw its strongest sales growth during Q1 in the Americas. CA sales rose 44.1%, “driven by continued high demand for the Puma brand in the North American and Latin American markets”.

Sales in EMEA were up 25.5%, “reflecting strong growth across all key markets in Europe”, but sales in Asia Pacific declined 17% due to issues in Greater China resulting from its zero-Covid policy.

And looking at categories, CA footwear sales were up 18.2%, apparel rose 16% and accessories stormed ahead by 32.2%.

The firm saw strong results in Running & Training, Teamsports, Golf and Basketball, as well as the Sportstyle category.