Reebok RBK Athletic Shoes

Brand History and Heritage

Reebok trace its roots back to 1895 in Bolton, Lancashire, England, when Joseph William Foster founded J.W. Foster and Sons, pioneering spiked running shoes for athletes. In 1958, his grandsons Joe and Jeff Foster established Reebok, named after the grey rhebok (an African antelope). In the early 2000s, Reebok introduced the stylized 'RBK' abbreviation branding across various streetwear and basketball footwear lines.

Manufacturing and Supply Chain

Like most international athletic and lifestyle footwear brands, Reebok manufactures its footwear through an extensive network of third-party contracted manufacturing partners. Production primarily takes place across Asian manufacturing hubs, including Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and India, before being distributed to retail markets worldwide, including the United Kingdom.

Ownership and Corporate Structure

Reebok was acquired by the German sportswear giant Adidas in 2005. In March 2022, Adidas finalized the sale of Reebok to Authentic Brands Group (ABG), a major American brand development, marketing, and entertainment company based in New York City. ABG manages Reebok's intellectual property globally, operating through regional licensing and distribution partners such as the New Guards Group and Frasers Group across the UK and Europe.