Reebok is planning to close its U.K. office in Bolton and merge its operations with those of Adidas, its parent company. Job functions will be moved either to Adidas’ British head office in Stockton or to Reebok’s global headquarters in Massachusetts.
The closure of the Bolton office is significant in historical and symbolic terms, as the brand itself started there in 1895 as the creature of J.W. Foster & Sons. The Bolton office served for many years as the European head office for the brand. Reebok will continue to be associated with the local English football club, the Bolton Wanderers, through at least 2016; the team plays at Reebok Stadium.
Ulrich Becker, president and chief executive of Reebok International, said the closure of the office will be completed by the end of this year. He said that as many of the 160 employees in Bolton as possible will be offered positions within Adidas. The company has begun a consultation period with them now.
Kath Smith has been the managing director of Reebok UK since August 2006, and her future role has not yet been clarified. The sales and marketing staff in Bolton will probably be moved to Stockton sometime this summer, and product development will go to Massachusetts in the autumn. Reebok has made similar moves in Asia and elsewhere in Europe as part of its reorganization.
