Herbert Hainer, chief executive of the Adidas Group, said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag that the company would surpass sales of €1 billion in Russia and the former CIS countries this year. This means that the group is one year ahead of targets that called for this level of sales to be attained by 2013. By far the market leader in Russia, the Adidas Group has repeatedly pointed to Russia in the last quarters as a source of double-digit sales growth. The Adidas brand has turned into a Russian retail giant, with 530 stores around the country, and the group ranks Reebok as the second-largest sports brand in Russia with 230 stores (along with 95 factory outlets selling both brands). Hainer said that the company was reaping the benefits of long-term investments, going as far back as the Adidas brand's partnership with many Soviet teams and federations. Among current endorsements, Hainer said that the partnership between Adidas and the Russian Football Union should be a particularly valuable asset ahead of the football World Cup that will take place in Russia in 2018.

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