The Chinese sports brand taking on Nike and Adidas.

China’s economy was just starting to open up in the late 1980s when a determined high school dropout made his way to Beijing with 600 pairs of shoes.The Chinese sports brand taking on Nike and Adidas

China’s economy was just starting to open up in the late 1980s when a determined high school dropout made his way to Beijing with 600 pairs of shoes.The Chinese sports brand taking on Nike and Adidas

Chinese sportswear brand Anta counts Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu among its brand ambassadors
China’s economy was just starting to open up in the late 1980s when a determined high school dropout made his way to Beijing with 600 pairs of shoes.

Ding Shizhong had them made in a relative’s factory and now he was going to sell them. The money he earned paid for his first workshop where he began making footwear for other companies.

The 17-year-old was one of China’s many newly minted entrepreneurs as capitalism took off under the watchful eye of its Communist Party rulers.

But, as it turns out, Ding had much bigger plans.

His business has since grown into a sportswear powerhouse called Anta, which has been building a stable of international brands, including Arc’teryx and Salomon. Most recently it bought a stake in Puma.Now it is trying to take on the likes of Nike and Adidas, a goal that Ding spelled out in 2005: “We don’t want to be the Nike of China, but the Anta of the world.”

Anta may not be a household name in the West yet, but it has more than 10,000 shops in China and sponsors top athletes like freestyle skier Eileen Gu.

In February, it opened its first US outlet – a flagship store in Los Angeles’ upscale Beverly Hills area.

The company’s global push, which comes as Donald Trump aims to bring factory jobs back to the US with tariffs, highlights just how essential and competitive Chinese supply chains have become for manufacturing.Now it is trying to take on the likes of Nike and Adidas, a goal that Ding spelled out in 2005: “We don’t want to be the Nike of China, but the Anta of the world.”

Anta may not be a household name in the West yet, but it has more than 10,000 shops in China and sponsors top athletes like freestyle skier Eileen Gu.

In February, it opened its first US outlet – a flagship store in Los Angeles’ upscale Beverly Hills area.

The company’s global push, which comes as Donald Trump aims to bring factory jobs back to the US with tariffs, highlights just how essential and competitive Chinese supply chains have become for manufacturing.
Now it is trying to take on the likes of Nike and Adidas, a goal that Ding spelled out in 2005: “We don’t want to be the Nike of China, but the Anta of the world.”

Anta may not be a household name in the West yet, but it has more than 10,000 shops in China and sponsors top athletes like freestyle skier Eileen Gu.

In February, it opened its first US outlet – a flagship store in Los Angeles’ upscale Beverly Hills area.

The company’s global push, which comes as Donald Trump aims to bring factory jobs back to the US with tariffs, highlights just how essential and competitive Chinese supply chains have become for manufacturing.
The rise of Anta – which means “safe steps” – is not exactly unique. Decades of being the world’s factory have given several ambitious Chinese companies the opportunity to take on the very firms they once counted as customers.

From shoe maker to global brand
Founded in 1991, Anta began far from the glitz and the glamour of Beverly Hills as a small manufacturer in Jinjiang city in the south-eastern province of Fujian.

Jinjiang grew rapidly from a quiet agricultural county into the “shoe capital” of the world as part of the government’s plan to create specific industries in different provinces.The Chinese sports brand taking on Nike and Adidas
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Osmond Chia
Business reporter
Getty Images Freestyle skier Eileen Gu posing for photos in front of the Anta logo on a wall, holding a mini figurine of herselfGetty Images
Chinese sportswear brand Anta counts Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu among its brand ambassadors
China’s economy was just starting to open up in the late 1980s when a determined high school dropout made his way to Beijing with 600 pairs of shoes.

Ding Shizhong had them made in a relative’s factory and now he was going to sell them. The money he earned paid for his first workshop where he began making footwear for other companies.

The 17-year-old was one of China’s many newly minted entrepreneurs as capitalism took off under the watchful eye of its Communist Party rulers.

But, as it turns out, Ding had much bigger plans.

His business has since grown into a sportswear powerhouse called Anta, which has been building a stable of international brands, including Arc’teryx and Salomon. Most recently it bought a stake in Puma.

Now it is trying to take on the likes of Nike and Adidas, a goal that Ding spelled out in 2005: “We don’t want to be the Nike of China, but the Anta of the world.”

Anta may not be a household name in the West yet, but it has more than 10,000 shops in China and sponsors top athletes like freestyle skier Eileen Gu.

In February, it opened its first US outlet – a flagship store in Los Angeles’ upscale Beverly Hills area.

The company’s global push, which comes as Donald Trump aims to bring factory jobs back to the US with tariffs, highlights just how essential and competitive Chinese supply chains have become for manufacturing.

The rise of Anta – which means “safe steps” – is not exactly unique. Decades of being the world’s factory have given several ambitious Chinese companies the opportunity to take on the very firms they once counted as customers.

From shoe maker to global brand
Founded in 1991, Anta began far from the glitz and the glamour of Beverly Hills as a small manufacturer in Jinjiang city in the south-eastern province of Fujian.

Jinjiang grew rapidly from a quiet agricultural county into the “shoe capital” of the world as part of the government’s plan to create specific industries in different provinces.

Soon, there was an influx of investment from sneaker giants who were in search of overseas factories that could help bring down their production costs.

Several clusters focusing on different sorts of footwear emerged in Jinjiang and neighbouring cities along the eastern coast, each with its own specialised supply chain.

Getty Images Anta chairman Ding Shizhong clinking glasses with guests at the company’s listing ceremony in 2007.Getty Images
Anta chairman Ding Shizhong (centre) in 2007
At the Jinjiang hub’s core lies Chendai town, an area of around 40 sq km (15.4 sq miles) that is home to thousands of factories and suppliers. The district helped cement the city’s reputation making shoes for global brands such as Nike and Adidas.