Sports brand adidas has said that one of its aims in opening research and development centres in Asia is to adapt its products well to the needs of consumers there.
Italian business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore has quoted the company as saying its new centres in Shanghai and Tokyo are helping it adapt the fit of its shoes to the feet of people in that part of the world, which it explains are often narrower and longer than the feet of people of European origin.
The article said adidas had produced 171 million pairs of shoes in 2009, with 33% of them selling in the big developing economies. The German brand told the newspaper its ambition was to produce the perfect shoe for all sports and for all types of feet.

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