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<p>In a rapid rebound, Adidas has moved past Jordan Brand to reach No. 2 in U.S. sneaker sales. According to the market-research firm NPD Group, the German-based apparel company, which was struggling just a couple of years ago, has returned to being second behind industry goliath Nike.</p><p>Jordan Brand is a subsidiary of Nike.</p><p>&#8220;This is an achievement I never thought I would see in my lifetime,&#8221; NPD Group&#8217;s Matt Powell said on Twitter about Adidas. Powell told ESPN&#8217;s Darren Rovell, &#8220;I&#8217;ve never seen a brand in the sneaker industry grow this fast.&#8221;</p><p>In 2015, Adidas was completing a multiyear plunge and ceding its No. 2 positions in sportswear and footwear to Under Armour and Skechers, respectively. However, a high-profile collaboration with musician Kanye West and the introduction of popular lines such as Boost have Adidas&#8217;s sneaker sales surging.</p><p>&#8220;Adidas sport footwear sales grew more than half for the month and share grew by nearly half, to 13 percent,&#8221; Powell reported. Rovell said that for the first eight months of this year, Adidas had 11.3 percent of the U.S. market share by dollars, compared with a 6.6 share over a similar period in 2016.</p><p>Over the same eight-month period, per Rovell, Nike&#8217;s share of the sneaker market dropped from 39 to 37 percent. Meanwhile, Jordan Brand grew only slightly, from 9.4 to 9.5.</p><p>In 2016, for the first time in over a decade, Nike didn&#8217;t have the United States&#8217; top-selling sneaker product, according to Powell. That honor went to Adidas&#8217;s retro-styled Superstar line. Meanwhile, consumers might be running out of the nostalgic affection that long has fueled Jordan Brand.</p><p>&#8220;Nike let the Jordan business get overheated, which slowed down the liquidations,&#8221; Powell told <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/17/09/10071268/adidas-jumps-over-jordan-brand-to-take-the-no-2-spot-in">Benzinga</a>, referring to a lack of scarcity for offerings with the &#8220;Jumpman&#8221; logo, which some think has decreased the brand&#8217;s cachet. &#8220;The sentiment on Twitter is that Jordan is not cool anymore, which is overblown. But there is no question that retro Jordans [are] not selling out immediately like they used to.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;They are really customer-centric,&#8221; Powell said of Adidas. &#8220;They are making products that the kids want to buy.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Washington Post</p></bylineMeta></div>

Adidas overtakes Jordan Brand for No. 2 spot behind Nike in U.S. sneaker sales