Is ASICS profitable in 2026?

Yes. FY2025 (ended Dec 31, 2025) operating profit rose 42.4% to ¥142.5 billion and net profit attributable to owners rose 54.7% to ¥98.7 billion, marking a fifth straight record year. FY2026 guidance targets ¥171.0 billion operating profit, per company results dated 2026-02-13.

Who owns ASICS Corporation?

ASICS is publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under ticker 7936, not owned by a single parent. Institutional investors hold roughly 55% of shares as of 2026-03-16, with Norges Bank Investment Management at about 2.68%.

Is ASICS gaining ground on Nike?

Yes, per company disclosures ASICS EMEA posted its highest-ever revenue in 2025 at €1.204 billion, up 18.4%, while Nike's global share has been described as eroding internationally in 2026 market commentary, positioning ASICS as a share gainer against a stumbling Nike.

Could AI replace ASICS's shoe design process?

Unlikely soon. ASICS Ventures partnered with RebuilderAI to unveil AI-powered footwear design and manufacturing simulation at VivaTech Paris on 2026-06-18, but the company frames AI as a design tool, not a replacement for its decades of biomechanical fit data and physical manufacturing capability.

Is ASICS a safe company to join, any layoffs?

No layoffs are reported. ASICS grew consolidated headcount to 9,455 employees as of 2025-12-31, up from 8,500 a year earlier, coinciding with five consecutive years of record revenue and profit growth through FY2025.

Who is ASICS's biggest competitor?

Nike and Adidas remain the largest scale rivals, but the fastest-growing threats are Hoka and On Running, each surpassing $2 billion in annual revenue by 2026 and taking premium running share from Nike and Adidas, per 2026-06-29 market analysis.

Consumer brands · Japan

ASICS Corporation

asics.com ↗

Japanese maker of performance running shoes and sports apparel since 1949.

Hard to displace

Assessed 23 July 2026 · Evidence as of 23 July 2026

Strong structural protection; the business model survives ai pressure.

On the recordSince 23 July 2026 · Checkable from August 14, 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: H1 FY2026 earnings release

The call

ASICS is having its best run in decades on running shoes and SportStyle fashion, with the main risks sitting in tariffs and whether the fashion cycle holds, not in AI.

ASICS makes running shoes and athletic footwear, and it owns the factories and stores that sell them, which means it can control quality and costs better than companies that outsource everything. The company has spent 77 years building knowledge about how feet and legs work, plus strong relationships with running stores, so Nike and Adidas cannot quickly copy what ASICS knows or replace those connections. The biggest risk is tariffs from the US government, which could raise prices and hurt sales, plus a shift in what people want to buy (fashion sneakers instead of performance running shoes) could slow growth.

Why

AI pressure: AI shopping agents like Amazon Rufus and Google AI Shopping. AI shopping assistants could route buyers to whichever shoe ranks best in an algorithm, not the one fitted at a specialty store. Could AI do the core job? Unlikely.

Bigger players: Nike, Inc.. Nike is losing share to ASICS right now, but a turnaround under new leadership could reverse the flow. Could a giant copy it? Probably.

What protects it. Owned factories, decades of biomechanical fit data, and specialty running store relationships rivals can't copy fast.

What would change this call

ASICS H1 FY2026 results released August 14, 2026. Shows whether running and SportStyle growth is continuing or stalling.
US Section 301 China tariff ruling and any new 10-12.5% tariffs taking effect. Shows whether tariff costs squeeze ASICS margins without price offsets.
ASICS SportStyle segment growth rate in upcoming quarterly reports versus the 44% 2025 pace. Shows whether the fashion-driven sales surge is fading.

Key numbers

FY2025 revenue hit ¥810.9B, up 19.5% (2025-12-31)
Operating profit rose 42.4% to ¥142.5B (2025-12-31)
FY2026 guidance targets ¥950B in sales (2026-02-13)

Named risks

US-China Section 301 tariffs upheld June 2026 plus new 10 to 12.5% tariffs proposed could raise costs. Severity: high
Broad US/Europe sneaker market forecast to decline in 2026 despite ASICS's own gains. Severity: medium
SportStyle fashion-driven growth (+44% EMEA) could reverse if lifestyle trend cools. Severity: medium
Hoka and On Running continuing to capture premium running share could eventually pressure ASICS base. Severity: medium

Rivals, as read in July 2026

Rival	Direction	Evidence
Nike	gaining on	ASICS EMEA hit record €1.204B revenue (2026-02-13) as Nike's global share described as eroding internationally
Adidas	contesting	ASICS SportStyle up 44% in EMEA (Feb 2026) while Adidas footwear growth slowed to +4% CC (2026-06-03)
Hoka	contesting	Hoka surpassed $2B annual revenue by 2026, taking premium running share from incumbents
On Running	contesting	On Running's growth rate roughly 4x Hoka's as of 2026-06-29, pressuring premium running segment

Questions people ask

Is ASICS profitable in 2026?: Yes. FY2025 (ended Dec 31, 2025) operating profit rose 42.4% to ¥142.5 billion and net profit attributable to owners rose 54.7% to ¥98.7 billion, marking a fifth straight record year. FY2026 guidance targets ¥171.0 billion operating profit, per company results dated 2026-02-13.
Who owns ASICS Corporation?: ASICS is publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under ticker 7936, not owned by a single parent. Institutional investors hold roughly 55% of shares as of 2026-03-16, with Norges Bank Investment Management at about 2.68%.
Is ASICS gaining ground on Nike?: Yes, per company disclosures ASICS EMEA posted its highest-ever revenue in 2025 at €1.204 billion, up 18.4%, while Nike's global share has been described as eroding internationally in 2026 market commentary, positioning ASICS as a share gainer against a stumbling Nike.
Could AI replace ASICS's shoe design process?: Unlikely soon. ASICS Ventures partnered with RebuilderAI to unveil AI-powered footwear design and manufacturing simulation at VivaTech Paris on 2026-06-18, but the company frames AI as a design tool, not a replacement for its decades of biomechanical fit data and physical manufacturing capability.
Is ASICS a safe company to join, any layoffs?: No layoffs are reported. ASICS grew consolidated headcount to 9,455 employees as of 2025-12-31, up from 8,500 a year earlier, coinciding with five consecutive years of record revenue and profit growth through FY2025.
Who is ASICS's biggest competitor?: Nike and Adidas remain the largest scale rivals, but the fastest-growing threats are Hoka and On Running, each surpassing $2 billion in annual revenue by 2026 and taking premium running share from Nike and Adidas, per 2026-06-29 market analysis.

Timeline

2026-06-18ASICS Ventures unveils AI footwear design tech with RebuilderAI at VivaTech Paris
2026-06-15ASICS announces active litigation against counterfeit Onitsuka Tiger sellers
2026-04ASICS establishes ASICS Technical Lab in Kobe, operational Dec 2027
2026-02-20Worldfootwear reports ASICS FY2025 results: operating profit up 42.4%
2026-02-13ASICS releases FY2025 financials, ¥810.9B sales, issues FY2026 guidance of ¥950B
2026-02-13ASICS EMEA reports highest-ever revenue of €1.204 billion, up 18.4%
2025-12-31ASICS FY2025 ends: fifth consecutive year of record revenue and profit
2024-06-27ASICS cancels 25 million treasury shares, executes 4-for-1 stock split

Head to head

ASICS Corporation vs Mizuno Corporation

Revision history

23 July 2026

First assessed. Hard to displace. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.

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