Brooks embarks on new chapter as running industry grows

Brooks takes top spot in performance running market; CEO Jim Weber shares insight into company’s challenger brand story in new book

-Seattle, WA

After ending 2021 with over $1.11 billion in global revenue, Brooks Running is projecting double-digit year-over-year growth in 2022. Brooks continues to deliver for runners and outpace competitors despite ongoing global supply chain disruptions impacting the running industry. In Q1 2022, Brooks took the top spot in the U.S. adult performance running footwear market for the first time, with 22% market share, based on revenue, according to The NPD Group. Additionally, in Q1 2022, the Brooks Ghost and Brooks Adrenaline were the top two selling franchise lines in the adult performance running market, collectively accounting for 14% of U.S. sales.

“While Vietnam factory closures last year caused us to fall short of fulfilling strong market demand for Brooks in Q1, we remain bullish for substantial growth in 2022,” said Brooks CEO Jim Weber. “Brooks’ performance products continued to lead with runners and the best is yet to come as our new Glycerin styles come to market featuring DNA LOFT v3, a nitrogen-infused midsole compound that delivers an incredibly compelling running experience.”

Premium Performance is Driving Growth

Brooks’ success continues to be driven by the company’s long-term focus on building the best performance running gear in the world for its customers, execution excellence, and increasing runner demand. According to the 2022 Sports & Fitness Industry (SFIA) Manufacturers Sales Report, total U.S. run industry growth—including equipment, apparel, and footwear—grew 15.8% in 2021. With this backdrop of increasing demand, the company will continue using runner insight to inform innovation, with the belief that every runner deserves performance—from those who run occasionally to athletes competing on a global stage.

Brooks recently introduced a refreshed Dare Run Bra collection, incorporating runner insight to deliver greater adjustability and run-ready support. In partnership with the Research Group in Breast Health at the University of Portsmouth, Brooks performs biomechanical testing on a wide range of sizes, using both lab and consumer research findings to engineer a range of support options and sizes for diverse runners.

This July, Brooks is excited to introduce the Glycerin 20, Glycerin GTS 20, and Caldera 6. The launch of these updated franchises brings a Brooks BlueLine Lab midsole innovation, DNA LOFT v3, into in-line footwear styles. DNA LOFT v3 is a nitrogen-infused midsole compound that allows for a softer, lighter, and more responsive runner experience.

Following his bronze medal performance at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 last summer, Brooks Beast Josh Kerr debuted a prototype of the Brooks Wire 8 spike shoe as he secured new Scottish, British, and European indoor records with his 3:48.87-mile time at the Boston University Last Chance Meet in February. Brooks athletes played an integral role in providing feedback to the Brooks BlueLine Lab team through multiple rounds of prototyping the Wire 8, which is slated to launch in summer 2022 ahead of the World Athletics Championships, bringing Brooks’ most cutting-edge spike technology to athletes across the globe.

Running Responsibly Report Issued

As Brooks grows, the brand remains grounded in its commitment to corporate responsibility. Brooks’ recently published 2021 report, “Running Responsibly: Our People and Planet Path,” tracks the brand’s progress supporting its conviction that everyone who wants to run feels welcome to run, and has a place to do it. Inclusion starts with its employees, and in 2021, the company grew representation of women among its global workforce to 53%, grew BIPOC representation among U.S. employees to 35%, and achieved a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index for the second consecutive year. Brooks invested $5.7 million in community giving last year, with a focus on social impact programs that advance health and well-being and champion the run for all.

Brooks also took steps toward its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040: in 2021, 60% of total polyester yarn used across both its footwear and apparel collections was recycled; and Brooks launched its first carbon neutral product, the Ghost 14, its largest volume style.

Running with Purpose Book Shares the Brooks Story

Brooks’ journey from near bankruptcy 20 years ago to a leading brand in the highly competitive global running market is told in Brooks CEO Jim Weber’s new book, Running with Purpose: How Brooks Outpaced Goliath Competitors to Lead the Pack (HarperCollins Leadership), published today in advance of the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting on Saturday, April 30, 2022.

When Weber became CEO of Brooks in 2001, the struggling brand had seen four CEOs in the previous two years, and the staff betting pool had him lasting four months. Running with Purpose offers insight into Brooks’ untold challenger brand story, sharing how the brand was re-founded and a passionate, determined team fueled its growth with performance gear and celebrating every runner’s run. The book features a foreword by Weber’s long-time mentor, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, who declared Brooks a standalone subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in 2012 and encouraged Weber to chronicle Brooks’ success in a book.

About Brooks

Brooks Running sells its performance footwear, apparel, run bras, and accessories worldwide. Brooks’ purpose is to inspire everyone to run their path by creating the best gear, tools, and experiences. Founded 1914, Brooks is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and is headquartered in Seattle. Visit www.brooksrunning.com for more information or follow @brooksrunning.

About Running with Purpose

More information about Running with Purpose (MSRP: $28.99) can be found at BrooksRunning.com. The book is available today, April 26, 2022, wherever books are sold, and is also available as an audio book. It was recently named one of Audible’s “Most Anticipated Listens of Spring 2022, as Forecast by Our Editors.”

1 Source: The NPD Group/TMM POS, U.S. dollar sales, 3ME March 2022

2 Source: The NPD Group/TMM POS, U.S. dollar sales, 3ME March 2022