Yet results were generally positive, with adidas saying it was on track for net profit growth of 10-15 percent in 2003.
adidas-Salomon said results for the first quarter ending March 31, 2003, saw net sales grow by two percent from EUR1,638m in 2002 to EUR1,669m in 2003.
On a currency-neutral basis, sales grew 12 percent. Gross margin grew 0.7 percentage points to 42.5 percent in 2003 from 41.8 percent in 2002.
The group's net income increased 19 percent from EUR43m in 2002 to EUR51m in 2003.
For the full results see the features section of sportbusiness.com
Sportswear giant adidas has posted a 19 percent jump in first quarter net profit - but a 22 percent dip in its North American order backlog saw shares tumble by 6.8 percent.
