The German sportswear companies Puma and Adidas are to end a feud started 60 years ago by their founding brothers.
Adi and Rudolf Dassler started making sports shoes together in their mother's wash-room in the 1920s.
They fell out during World War II, probably over political differences, and founded firms on either side of a river in southern Germany.
On Monday 21 September, employees of both companies will shake hands and then play a football match.
It is a big deal in the cobblestoned Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach, where two of the world's largest sportswear companies are based.
First joint activities
When the brothers set up their separate companies in 1948 the town was also split, with residents loyal to one or other of the only major employers.
In a joint release, the two companies said they were making up to support the Peace One Day organisation, which has its annual non-violence day on Monday.
They say that the events will be the first joint activities held by the two companies since the brothers left their shared firm in 1948.
Neither group is now controlled by the descendants of its founding families, although Rudolf's grandson Frank Dassler raised some eyebrows in the town by working for both Puma and Adidas.
Since 2007, Puma has been majority-owned by PPR, the French luxury goods maker that also owns Gucci.
Adidas Group is much more widely-owned, with no individual shareholder having more than 5%. |
德国运动装公司彪马和阿迪达斯即将结束长达60年的不和——源于两公司的各自的创始人阿迪(Adi)和鲁道夫•达斯勒(Rudolf Dassler)兄弟俩。
上世纪20年代,阿迪(Adi)和鲁道夫•达斯勒(Rudolf Dassler)在他们母亲的盥洗室制造运动鞋。
二战期间,兄弟俩或因政治分歧造成不和,随后二人各自在德国南部一条河的南北边创建了自己的公司。
9月21日,周一,两个公司的员工将会握手言和并举行足球赛。
对于世界上最大的两家运动装公司彪马和阿迪达斯的诞生地巴伐利亚州黑措根奥拉赫镇来说,这是个重磅事件。
首次共同组织的活动
当俩兄弟于1948年各自建立了自己的公司时,该镇也随之一分为二:一些居民在彪马公司上班,另一些则在河对岸的阿迪达斯公司上班。
根据联合发布的消息,这两家公司称,他们已全力支持“和平日”筹备工作,将每年的“非对抗日”设在一年中的某个星期一。
他们称,自1948年兄弟俩离开共同创办的公司后,此次是两家公司第一次联合举办活动。
尽管鲁道夫•达斯勒的孙子弗兰克•达斯勒(Frank Dassler)同时为彪马和阿迪达斯公司效力一事令镇上居民惊叹不已,但目前两家公司的控制权都不是由创始人家族的后辈所掌控。
自2007以来,法国奢侈品制造商PPR集团实际上拥有彪马的大部分资产。古驰品牌(Gucci)也是该集团旗下的。
拥有阿迪达斯集团的投资者就更多了,但没有一个投资者的股份有超过5%。
(译者 fli2013 编辑 丹妮)
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