Reebok

Reebok is an athletic footwear and apparel company founded in 1895 by Joseph William Foster under the name J.W. Foster. Adidas acquired Reebok on January 31, 2006 for approximately $3.8 billion. Although Reebok has originally been conceived as a traditional sports brand, over time the company transitioned to a brand focused on fitness. In 2021 Adidas agreed to sell Reebok to Authentic Brands Group for $2.5 billion dollars.

Reebok has its roots founded by Joseph William Foster as J.W. Foster and was later renamed J.W. Foster and Sons when his sons joined the company. In 1958, two of the founder’s grandsons, Joe and Jeff Foster formed Reebok as a companion company in Bolton, United Kingdom. This name originates from a species of African Antelope called Grey Rhebok (spelled reebok in Afrikaans and Dutch).

In 1986 the company switched its Union Flag logo to the vectorial logo termed "the vector," but preserved the colors of the flag. With this the company began to present itself as a performance brand and negotiated deals between professional athletes within the NBA and NFL such as Shaquille O’Neal and Eli and Peyton Manning. Reebok later branched out to other sport disciplines such as tennis with the signing of Venus Williams, and football, striking deals with players like Thierry Henry and Ryan Giggs.