Adidas on Monday announced John Miller as president of its North American business, effective immediately.

The announcement comes roughly three months after Rupert Campbell stepped down from the Portland-based position, and just after Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden hit his one-year anniversary with the Germany-based company and Nike rival.

Miller starts work as the company, like Nike, seeks to regain lost momentum in North America, the largest market for sportswear. It also signals the company will continue to work to build its wholesale business selling shoes and clothing to retailers.

In the first nine months of 2023, Adidas sales in North America fell 16% to roughly $4.4 billion. Among the company’s challenges is replacing lost sales from the brand’s split with Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, with whom it parted in the wake of antisemitic remarks.

Miller most recently worked for Puma, where he overlapped with Gulden, Puma’s CEO from 2013 to 2022. At Puma, Miller worked as senior vice president of wholesale in North America, suggesting Gulden continues to see wholesale as an important part of Adidas’ business plan. That’s a departure from Nike, which has turned its focus to direct-to-consumer sales through its website and retail stores.

“I still believe this is a wholesale-driven business,” Gulden said last year. “We need to show up at wholesale as the best partner for the retailers so they can make money from us. You cannot own the consumer. You can only earn the consumer.”

Miller is familiar with Portland, having worked for Nike from 2006 and 2017, including as senior director of sporting goods in North America, another position in which he worked with wholesale partners. From 2002 to 2006, Miller worked for Adidas, including in a position where he worked to build sales in shopping malls.

Miller is the fourth head of Adidas North America since 2018. Campbell succeeded Zion Armstrong, who served as president of Adidas North America from 2018 to 2022. He succeeded Mark King, who held the position from 2014 to 2018.

Miller will report to Arthur Hoeld, a member of the Adidas executive board.

“We are happy to welcome John back to Adidas as our new president of North America,” Hoeld said, in a press release. “John is a consumer-driven leader who has a strong record of success in executing growth strategies, repositioning and accelerating brands throughout his career.”

Adidas employs around 1,600 at its North American headquarters, which is located in North Portland’s Overlook neighborhood.

– Matthew Kish; mkish@oregonian.com

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