Puma (Puma), A German Sporting Goods Manufacturer, Is Locking In The US Market.

Puma, a German sporting goods manufacturer, said Puma had much more work to do to attract American consumers after its third quarter sales fell.

Puma announced that this year's sales target was 3 billion euros, and net income grew by a single digit. Michael Lemoman, the company's financial manager, said: "the North American market is even more severe than we thought."

Franz Koch, President of Puma, said Puma's sales in North America showed a decline in the number of digits, because the performance in the third quarter of last year was really good, which made it worse this year.

Robert Grier, an analyst at Merck Fink of Munich investment bank, Germany, said he was surprised by Puma's relatively weak performance in the US market.

"The United States is a key market for Puma, but the problem is why it is weak," he said.

Puma Adidas, the world's second largest sports shoe and garment producer, says its products are booming in the US market.

Koch said that in the rapid development of commodity types, Puma's loss to opponents, such as light sports shoes, is becoming more and more popular in the United States.

Puma is now trying to strictly distinguish the range of performance and fashion, and has launched Faas sports shoes in the light shoe market, competing with Nike's Free and Adidas's Faas.

Koch said: "what we need to say directly is that our performance products can not cause consumers' sympathy, and of course the products of our competitors are the same, so we must pay attention to this aspect."

He said the lightweight series sold well in China and Latin America, which accounted for 10% of the total volume of the quarter.

Koch refused to look forward to 2012.

In the first 3 months ended September, Puma's sales were 841 million 600 thousand euros, net income was 8170 euros, while the average forecast value of Reuters survey was 848 million euros and 7960 euros respectively.

PPR group, which owns Gucci, also owns 75% of Puma. PPR group is keen to expand sports life products and services.