ANTA (安踏, pronounced ān tà, meaning “safe stepping”), founded in 1991 by Ding Shizhong, began as a small basketball and running shoes retailer. Today, it ranks as the world’s third-highest-grossing sportswear company, trailing only behind Nike and adidas. 

In 2024, ANTA reported a revenue exceeding 100 billion RMB ($14 billion USD), and a 14% year-on-year increase in the first half of 2025. With close to 13,000 stores in China alone, the brand has announced ambitious plans to open 1,000 new locations across Southeast Asia over the next three years. 

This September, ANTA opened its first flagship store in Beverly Hills, marking the brand’s biggest international push to date. ANTA is set to compete with well-established industry leaders like Nike, adidas, and Lululemon on their home turf. For ANTA, the challenge is to stand out in a crowded market dominated by brands with deep cultural resonance and loyal followings, while offering products that combine Chinese identity with a localized premium retail experience.

ANTA’s Globalization Strategy

ANTA’s rise has been fueled not only by its success as a sportswear brand but also by its multi-brand strategy of acquiring and managing international labels. The group operates Amer Sports, whose portfolio includes Salomon, Arc’teryx, and Wilson. It also manages FILA China and Descente China, and most recently acquired the German outdoor brand Jack Wolfskin in June. 

For the past decade, ANTA has tapped into China’s growing middle-class market and its increasing demand for outdoor apparel. Salomon, for example, grew from fewer than 10 stores in China in 2019 to more than 200 locations today under ANTA’s management. A similar trend can also be observed in Arc’teryx’s China expansion. 

Ding, the brand’s founder, said: “ANTA will become the world’s ANTA,” reflecting the company’s dual approach strategy of acquiring overseas brands while strengthening the presence of its international brands in China. In January, ANTA acquired a 1.7% stake in MUSINSA, a popular South Korean fashion platform hosting over 10,000 brands. Through a joint venture, the two aim to capture young Chinese consumers with trendy, affordable Korean fashion. The MUSINSA Standard, the brand’s in-house label, is set to open in Shanghai this winter. 

But the company’s rapid growth has not come without setbacks. A recent Arc’teryx marketing campaign involving fireworks in Tibet sparked widespread criticism both within China and abroad. The stunt caused ANTA’s stock to drop 4.6%, wiping out HK$12.5 billion in market value.

Rivalry with Li-Ning

ANTA’s biggest domestic competitor remains Li-Ning, another sportswear giant with international connections and deep ties to basketball. Since forming a strategic partnership with the NBA in 2006, Li-Ning has secured high-profile sponsorship deals with basketball icons such as Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade. The brand was also the unofficial sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which boosted its international credibility. 

In contrast, ANTA has focused primarily on the domestic market. It provided official sportswear for the Chinese Olympic Committee (2009–2024) and sponsored the Chinese Basketball Association (2004–2017). ANTA has also sponsored and built partnerships with athletes like Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving, both of whom have released signature collections with the brand.

While Li-Ning has pursued cultural relevance in global basketball early on, ANTA has leaned toward becoming a fashion-forward, multi-brand sportswear company. Whether it can replicate its domestic dominance abroad remains to be seen, but from a modest sneaker retailer to a multi-billion-dollar group with global acquisitions, ANTA has already secured its place as one of the most ambitious players in the sportswear market.

Cover image via Weibo