Founded in Germany in 1948 by Rudolf Dassler, the company is known worldwide for designing and manufacturing athletic and casual footwear, apparel, and accessories. With decades of history behind it, the brand is recognised as the third-largest sportswear manufacturer in the world. But more than that, PUMA is unique as the brand that operates at the intersection of sports, culture, fashion, and innovation, pushing performance and sportstyle to new heights.
“This has been our promise since the beginning,” says Taner Seyis, General Manager for PUMA in the Middle East. “PUMA was there across iconic moments in history, tied to landmark moments– from Tommy Smith, Pele and Johan Cruyff to Usain Bolt, Rihanna and Neymar, PUMA locks hands with legends – a legacy we continue to this day and beyond.”
As Seyis puts it simply, “We are the world’s fastest sports brand, bridging sports and culture on a global scale, always forward. And of course, Forever Faster.”
What defines PUMA is its singular ability to understand and interpret the intersection of sports and culture, translating that understanding into products and initiatives that resonate with people across all walks of life. Its products are known for their quality and style all over the world, but with PUMA, ultimately, everything comes down to speed.
“Speed is something very unique to PUMA, it’s in our DNA,” Seyis says. “It’s at the forefront of everything we do, whether it be our supply chain, go-to-market strategies, decision making, response times to our customers, or adapting to markets and our environments. This desire to be faster and our mentality makes us unique in an ever-changing retail landscape.”
But speed is not something that happens, it has to keep happening if you want to stay ahead.
“All brands have to ask themselves ‘How do we keep up and more importantly, how do we continue to distinguish ourselves and innovate whilst engaging with the new generation?’” Seyis points out. “How do we continue to pioneer and make sure that we bring the best products and services to our customers? We all know that our world is changing ever faster, and so is our industry.”
In a rapidly expanding cultural global environment, social shifts, and ever-evolving consumer tastes; PUMA’s challenge has been creating products that address these changes head-on as it navigates a splintered consumer market among other high-performing competitors vying for a piece of the pie.
PUMA Middle East meets that challenge in its region by serving customers at every level of sport across several nations.
Since 2005, PUMA Middle East has based its headquarters in Dubai, the city that, like PUMA itself, is always on the move, continuously growing, developing and above all, changing in the blink of an eye. Where an empty piece of land might be found one week, a few weeks later there will be a completed apartment building.
It is this energy that PUMA Middle East takes to heart and reflects back, and it is visible in all of the company’s business practices and brand operations.
Keeping Pace
To do that, PUMA must be as agile and fast as the brand’s namesake. The company ensures that it remains as adaptable as possible, ready to leap to meet any challenge head-on by bringing together innovators and creatives and working with partners that help it push sports and sportstyle forward.
“We keep our ears to the ground and our fingers on the pulse of culture. We are working with the brightest talents, both established and rising, creating signature technology, and pushing performance further, ensuring our trademark authenticity keeps up with the rapid pace of change,” Seyis insists. “The Middle East is a prime example of this, as our work here has been so creatively fulfilling and resonant for the PUMA brand.”
The Middle East continues to see change and innovation at a break-neck pace and on a scale previously unseen, with an impassioned sports scene, an arts and culture boom, a wealth of entertainment offerings, and not least, rich storied heritage and history. These elements have converged and opened a world of unlimited creative potential. It is a world PUMA Middle East is proud to be a part of and innovate within.
Most recently, PUMA has made itself a part of that story with the announcement of an official five-year sponsorship with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal Football Club. PUMA hopes to transform Saudi Arabia’s thriving and passionate football culture with dynamic new initiatives and products in a groundbreaking new partnership. The firm will design unique, bespoke strips for the football team, as well as training equipment for both the Al-Hilal men and women’s football teams starting from the 2023-2024 season.
This new deal marks a continued expansion by PUMA into the football sector at the same time as the Middle East’s passion for the game is undergoing an explosion.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Hilal Club Fahad Bin Saad Bin Nafel has said, “We’re delighted about this new partnership with PUMA until 2027. The long-term nature of this agreement means both parties are committed to working together with a strong focus on bringing global exposure for the team as well as developing new campaigns and initiatives which place our communities in the spotlight.”
He added, “We are excited to start our journey together with PUMA being the first in the region with our very own bespoke kit designs and we believe that this partnership will set a new benchmark for Saudi football.”
Seyis has also enthused about the partnership, saying, “The partnership we signed with Al-Hilal provides new opportunities with one of the world’s most passionate football fanbases, in a market that is seeing unprecedented growth and dynamism across all industries. We are committed to working together with Al-Hilal, in the Kingdom and globally, to deliver impact both on and off the pitch. As part of the partnership, we will see both organisations working together to provide long-term initiatives for Saudi youth, connect with local communities, and create exclusive PUMA product ranges to the delight of fans across the Kingdom and the globe.”
In addition to this, global PUMA ambassador Neymar Jr is set to join Al Hilal on a two year contract, a great win for the club and PUMA as the official sponsors. “We look forward to having Neymar Jr be an integral part of the team,” Seyis addes.
A Winning Team
Al-Hilal is not the only winning team PUMA is concerned with, however. People are at the centre of PUMA’s work, and to succeed it needs people of all kinds.
“Being based in the Middle East, our strength is in our diversity,” Seyis says. “It is what makes us unique, and it is what drives our hiring practices to ensure we have the best team of innovative, imaginative, and creative individuals offering varied perspectives and outlooks that only further enrich the collective work we put in the PUMA brand.”
PUMA Middle East boasts a team made up of 32 nationalities, bringing a global mindset to the table.
“We have created a nurturing and inclusive work environment that fosters even greater creative output,” Seyis points out. “We have all come together from different walks of life and backgrounds, operating in a cultural melting pot, working together in a region with an ever-growing passion for sports, and at the forefront of creativity united under the PUMA umbrella to innovate together.”
It is not just about having the right people on board; it is also about putting them in an environment where they can achieve their very best.
“We invest in the well-being of our employees, ensuring a healthy work-life balance, wellness benefits, and providing professional growth opportunities through an environment of integrity, respect, and transparency where their highest potential is within reach,” Seyis says.
New Goals
It is as an exciting time for PUMA, as the brand has recently opened its largest factory outlet yet in the region. Based in the popular Hamdan Street shopping district in Abu Dhabi, the new 700 square metre store is the latest of the retail expansions PUMA has made in the region during an exciting period of expansion. The new facility will offer a wide selection of PUMA’s trademark iconic sportswear and apparel, catering to casual buyers and sports enthusiasts alike.
Commenting on the new outlet, Seyis has said, “We at PUMA are excited to launch our largest factory outlet as part of our promise to bring our consumers in the region the products they love, driven by the trademark PUMA innovation and variety they have come to expect. This expansion is the latest in our regional strategy to meet consumer demand and deliver PUMA’s offerings through iconic collections and product lines.”
The new outlet is emblematic of the kind of expansion that defines PUMA Middle East’s current strategy. It is the kind of expansion that Seyis is keen to see more of in the future of the company, and the brand is well-positioned to build on that going forward.
“While we live in the moment, our eyes are always on the future,” Seyis says. “We also honour the PUMA legacy, heritage, and history. Our ambition is to keep pushing sports forward in the region, which has seen so much change across the cultural landscape, partnering with icons such as Al Hilal FC, local talent for campaigns, and connecting communities through various initiatives.”
The Middle East’s love and passion for sports offer plenty of new avenues for PUMA to make its mark and honour its legacy of lasting impact across all of the brand’s business units. The Middle East is already known for its trailblazing F1 scene, as well as Saudi Arabia’s booming football fever – hosting world-famous AC Milan and treble winners Manchester City. And among all this growing excitement, PUMA Middle East is right in the heart of it. As well as the work the company has been doing with Al-Hilal FC, PUMA is also working alongside the Turkish powerhouse football club Fenerbahce SK and has established partnerships with the Turkish Volleyball and Basketball Federation.
“We have immense belief in our thriving region, which is why we will continue to focus our efforts on investing in initiatives,” Seyis insists. “From our recent collaboration with up-and-coming Emirati designers to develop the Sole RS-X07 shoe, to our participation in cultural events such as the iconic SOLE DXB, creating our Dubai and Riyadh city range exclusively for the local market, and partnering with sporting titans Al Hilal in the fastest growing landscape in the GCC. We will continue to pinpoint the game-changers and trendsetters of society and provide them with a platform and a space for change.”
But while PUMA’s name is visible at the top levels of many sports, it is also a part of communities, with initiatives such as the Hatayspor FC disaster relief partnership and its collaborations with regional talents.
“While our efforts will always remain focused on initiatives that resonate with the region, we also aim to bring our global collaborations with renowned football teams, and exciting IPs here locally to propel the PUMA promise forward,” Seyis tells us. “Always forward and forever faster.”
Wherever PUMA Middle East goes yet, there is one thing of which Seyis is certain.
“PUMA Middle East is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon,” he says.
