ASICS booked its strongest first half on record and used the moment to raise its own bar for the rest of the year. Sales for the six months to the end of June rose 32.7% to ¥534.5bn, the first time the sportswear maker has cleared ¥500bn in a half-year period, while operating profit jumped 48.5% to ¥120.5bn, pushing the operating margin to 22.5%. Net income attributable to parent shareholders climbed 53.3% to ¥82.2bn, comfortably ahead of the ¥53.6bn booked in the same period last year.
On the back of that, ASICS lifted its full-year forecasts for the twelve months to December. Revenue guidance rose to ¥1.05tn from a previous ¥950bn estimate, operating profit guidance rose to ¥195bn from ¥171bn, and the operating margin target moved to 18.6% from 18.0%. Net income guidance for the year rose to ¥120bn from ¥110bn. Management called the ¥1tn sales threshold and the prospect of ¥100bn-plus annual profit "major milestones" now within reach. The board also raised the dividend: the interim payout rises ¥2 to ¥20 per share, the year-end payout rises ¥4 to ¥24, and the annual total climbs to ¥44 from a prior ¥38 estimate.
| Metric | Previous forecast | Revised forecast |
|---|---|---|
| Net sales | ¥950.0bn | ¥1.05tn |
| Operating profit | ¥171.0bn | ¥195.0bn |
| Operating margin | 18.0% | 18.6% |
| Net income (parent) | ¥110.0bn | ¥120.0bn |
| Annual dividend per share | ¥38 | ¥44 |
Growth was broad but uneven. Sportstyle, the casual-lifestyle category, was the standout: sales rose 83.0% to ¥123.2bn with category profit margin up 3.3 percentage points to 34.0%. Onitsuka Tiger sales grew 35.9% to ¥89.5bn, with double-digit gains in every region and a category margin of 39.7%. Performance Running, the core running-shoe business, grew a steadier 19.3% to ¥220.7bn. By region, Europe led with sales up 46.4% to ¥166.6bn and operating margin up 2.1 points to 20.8%, while Japan sales rose 6.9% to ¥106.1bn on strong inbound-tourist demand for Onitsuka Tiger product.
The bigger structural move is what happens to that Onitsuka Tiger business next. ASICS confirmed that from January 1, 2027, it will split off the brand's operations into a new company, OT GROUP, and fold the Onitsuka Tiger units run by its regional subsidiaries into OT GROUP as well. The stated goal is faster decision-making and a firmer footing as an independent luxury-lifestyle brand, while research, digital and intellectual-property functions stay shared with the rest of the ASICS group. ASICS opened what it calls the brand's largest global flagship store in Tokyo's Shinjuku district in July and a second flagship in Nagoya in August, and plans to re-enter the US market in 2027.
The same batch of August 14 filings included two housekeeping items: ASICS's board resolved to dissolve and liquidate a wholly owned subsidiary based in Kobe that handles domestic and overseas sales of sports and general footwear, capitalized at ¥450mn, ending ASICS's 100% voting stake in that unit once liquidation completes. The company also amended a ¥50bn corporate-bond shelf registration to add that liquidation filing as a reference document, without changing the shelf's size or its April 2028 expiry.