Brooks Sports is targeting sales of $300 million in 2011 after a sales increase of 21 percent in 2010 to $190 million and a strong order backlog. Orders are up by 37 percent for U.S. footwear, 42 percent for U.S. apparel, 50 percent from the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) region and 21 percent from other parts of the world. That should help the brand, owned by Berkhire Hathaway, to reach the stated $1 billion target ahead of time, giving it a strong position in the global running market, estimated at $9 billion, half of that in the U.S. Research by Sports Marketing Surveys indicates that Brooks has already overtaken Asics in the American specialty running retail market, which represents 54 percent of its own sales.

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