Umbro

The company was founded in 1920 in Wilmslow, Cheshire , and was called Humphreys Brothers Clothing, in 1924 the company was renamed Umbro, an abbreviated version of the previous name - H um phreys Bro thers. In 1985, Umbro introduced its first football boots in Brazil , which began to be produced two years later.

Umbro also produced shorts , the peak of popularity of which came in the late 1980s - early 1990s. They were made of nylon and were painted in bright colors. These football shorts got their nickname - “Umbros”. With the development of the U.S. Youth Football League in the 1980s, many young people and teenagers began to wear them as casual clothes. Like football, they were popular among both sexes. Due to the fashion of that time, other brands of soccer shorts, such as Adidas , Diadora , Hummel , Lotto , Miter , also became popular. However, in the mid-1990s, Umbros began to lose their appeal among young people.

In the 1990s, the company moved from a center in Manchester to a new headquarters in Cheadle.

On October 19, 2007, JJB Sports bought a 10.1% stake in Umbro to maintain its market share in the UK soccer jerseys ^[2] .

On October 23, 2007, it was announced that Umbro agreed to be bought by Nike for £ 285 million ($ 580 million). The Umbro board of directors convinced its shareholders to vote for such a share, since a very substantial amount was proposed (Nike offered 193 pounds per share, although the market price at the time of purchase was close to 130 pounds). In December 2007, the takeover was approved by the antimonopoly committee. On March 3, 2008, Nike completed the acquisition of a 100% stake in Umbro for £ 290.5 million. ^[3]

In September 2012, the Football Association of England , sponsored by Umbro for 60 years, announced that starting in 2013, the England team will be equipped with a uniform made by Nike. ^[four]

In October 2012, Nike completely abandoned the Umbro brand, selling it and all associated intellectual property of Iconix Brand Group , a licensing rights company, for $ 225 million ^[5] .

The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange as UMB. The main competitors in the market are Adidas , Errea , Nike , Lotto , Puma , Joma and Reebok .

The company has contracts with such players as: Joe Hart and so on.

Today, Umbro produces all kinds of sportswear, including boots and training uniforms. Umbro also produces casual clothing, including a line by British designer Kim Jones . The company supplies sportswear to the most famous teams in the world.

Since its inception, Umbro has been supplying uniforms to many renowned professional teams. The first set of uniforms was released in 1934 for the Manchester City team, which won the FA Cup the same year. For many years, Umbro has been a uniform supplier for professional teams and referees. At the 1966 World Cup, 15 teams out of 16 wore Umbro uniforms. In addition to football issues, Umbro also produces sports kits for rugby teams and athletes .

In addition to its main activity - the production of molds, Umbro is also engaged in sponsorship activities. Thus, Umbro is the official supplier of the FA Cup and the official sponsor of the new Wembley Stadium . ^[6]

However, in recent years, many well-known football clubs have gone from Umbro to Nike and Adidas (in particular, Manchester United , Chelsea , Celtic ). Umbro also refused the services of a long-time partner - the Football Association of England , with whom they collaborated for 60 years. ^[4] In 2014, the champion of the English Premier League 2011/12 football club Manchester City , which switched to the Nike uniform, refused Umbro services. ^{[7] [8]}

In Russia

Umbro was a supplier of sportswear for the Dynamo football club during the periods 1992-1997 and 2006-2011. In the Russian Premier League of the 2012/13 season, Umbro was the technical sponsor of the football clubs Krylya Sovetov , Alania and Rubin . ^[9] In the 2013/14 season, the company completely withdrew from the top Russian football league, but in the 2014/15 season, the Ural football club reached an agreement on cooperation with Umbro for 2 years. ^[10] In January 2015, Umbro became a form supplier for Saturn, which plays in the West Zone of the second division.

Umbro previously collaborated with PFC CSKA twice: from 1991 to 1994 and from 2000 to 2008. During the second collaboration, CSKA won several high-profile victories, including winning the UEFA Cup in 2005 .

In January 2018, the third cooperation between PFC CSKA and Umbro was announced, which began with the 2018/2019 season. ^[eleven]

• Company official website