Adidas’ preliminary fourth-quarter earnings for the 2025 financial year have been revealed, with revenues increasing by 11 per cent.

The company doubled its operating profit from the year-ago period to €164 million ($195 million). Its gross margin climbed to 50.8 per cent, a 1 per cent increase from the same period in the previous year.

The company said these improvements came in spite of the “negative impacts from unfavorable currency developments and higher tariffs”.

The company’s CEO, Bjørn Gulden, added that the success should be celebrated even more, given the “external turbulence” in today’s economic climate.

“I am again very proud of what our people have achieved. Driving double-digit growth in the fourth quarter despite all the external turbulence, and more than doubling our operating profit in the quarter made the year end very well and made 2025 much better than we had planned and expected when the year started,” Gulden added.

Adidas has now announced a share buyback, starting early February. The company will buy back shares worth up to €1 billion.

A spokesperson for the company said: “The share buyback will be financed through the company’s anticipated strong cash flow generation in 2026. Adidas intends to cancel the repurchased shares.”

Gulden added: “Our mission is to do everything we can to serve and please the consumer, the athlete and our retail partners. To do that we need to be as close as we can to the markets. We want to be a global brand with a local mindset.

“Now we look forward to the great Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Italy starting next week and we continue to prepare for a fantastic FIFA World Cup in the summer.

“These are great events that I think the world needs. Sports and global sport events bring people from all over the world together. We need that now!”

Adidas will publish its final set of financial results for 2025, and provide an update on its future capital allocation plans on March 4.