After a turbulent phase, the sports brand Under Armor wants to play with the big players. A conversation with boss Patrick Frsik about the company’s mistakes, plans for Germany and the feeling of being an outsider.
Interview by
Caspar Busse
Patrik Frisk, 58, welcomes you in a good mood. In the morning he was already running with colleagues in the English Garden. Frisk has worked for the US sports brand Under Armor since 2017, and in January 2020 he took over the chief position from company founder Kevin Plank. He had always full-bodied announced that the company, founded in 1996, would soon overtake its big competitors Nike, Adidas and Puma. But then there were many problems, sales fell, and the image also suffered. Under Armor started with thermal underwear and martial arts equipment. Now Frisk, the native Swede with an American passport, is supposed to get the company back on track.