Adidas seals partnership with singer Beyonce

[April 05, 2019]  BERLIN (Reuters) - Adidas has teamed up with singer Beyonce and will relaunch her Ivy Park brand, as it aims to attract more female consumers after rival Puma's deal with Rihanna helped boost sales.

Adidas, which also has a partnership with Kanye West, said on Thursday it will work with Beyonce on creating performance and lifestyle products, including signature footwear and clothing.

The deal will also involve relaunching the Ivy Park brand Beyonce started in 2016 together with Britain's Topshop.

The company did not give financial details.

In November, Ivy Park said Beyonce had bought the fitness clothing brand from Topshop, just as its owner, British retail tycoon Philip Green, faced allegations of sexual harassment.

Adidas, Nike and Puma have all been trying hard to appeal to women since the rise of Lululemon and the athleisure trend, which has also prompted fashion companies like Gap and H&M to produce more fitness clothing.

Women's wear now accounts for about a quarter of sales of the Adidas brand, less than at Puma, which named Rihanna as its women's creative director in 2014.

Adidas said last month that the players it sponsors on the team that wins the FIFA Women’s World Cup this year will receive the same performance bonus payments as their male counterparts.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; editing by Thomas Seythal and Susan Fenton)

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