25 » Pensions and Similar Obligations

adidas has recognized post-employment benefit obligations arising from defined benefit plans. The benefits are provided pursuant to the legal, fiscal and economic conditions in each respective country and mainly depend on the employees’ years of service and remuneration.

Defined contribution pension plans

The total expense for defined contribution pension plans amounted to € 67 million in 2020 (2019: € 74 million).

Defined benefit pension plans

Given the company’s diverse subsidiary structure, different defined benefit pension plans exist, comprising a variety of post-employment benefit arrangements. The company’s major defined benefit pension plans relate to adidas AG and its subsidiaries in the UK and South Korea. The defined benefit pension plans generally provide payments in case of death, disability or retirement to former employees and their survivors. The obligations arising from defined benefit pension plans are partly covered by plan assets.

In Germany, adidas AG grants its employees contribution-based and final salary defined benefit pension schemes, which provide employees with entitlements in the event of retirement, disability and death. German pension plans operate under the legal framework of the German Company Pensions Act (‘Betriebsrentengesetz’) and under general German labor legislation. From 2020 onwards, active existing employees and new entrants are entitled to benefits in accordance with the general company agreement ‘Core Benefits: adidas company pension plan’. This is a pension plan with a basic employer contribution, possible salary sacrifices and additional matching contribution. Thus, the contributions to this pension plan are partly paid by the employee and partly paid by the employer. The contributions are transferred into benefit components. The benefits are paid out in the form of a pension, a lump sum or installments. The pension plans in Germany are financed using book reserves, a contractual trust arrangement (CTA) and, for certain former members of the Executive Board of adidas AG, a pension fund (‘Pensionsfonds’) in combination with a reinsured provident fund (‘Unterstützungskasse’). Further details about the pension entitlements of members of the Executive Board of adidas AG are provided in this Annual Report. See Compensation Report

The final salary defined benefit pension scheme in the UK is closed to new entrants and to future accrual. The benefits are mainly paid out in the form of pensions. The scheme operates under UK trust law as well as under the jurisdiction of the UK Pensions Regulator and therefore is subject to a minimum funding requirement. The Trustee Board is responsible for setting the scheme’s funding objective, agreeing the contributions with the company and determining the investment strategy of the scheme.

In South Korea, adidas grants a final salary defined pension plan to certain employees. This plan is open to new entrants. The benefits are paid out in the form of a lump sum. The pension plan operates under the Employee Retirement Benefit Security Act (ERSA). This regulation requires a minimum funding amounting to 90% of the present value of the vested benefit obligation. The annual contribution includes at least the minimum amount in order to meet the funding requirements.

The Group’s pension plans are subject to risks from changes in actuarial assumptions, such as the discount rate, salary and pension increase rates, and risks from changes in mortality. A lower discount rate results in a higher defined benefit obligation and/or in higher contributions to the pension funds. Lower than expected performance of the plan assets could lead to an increase in required contributions or to a decline of the funded status.

The following tables analyze the defined benefit plans, plan assets, present values of the defined benefit pension plans, expenses recognized in the consolidated income statement, actuarial assumptions and further information.

The determination of assets and liabilities for defined benefit plans is based upon actuarial valuations. In particular, the present value of the defined benefit obligation is driven by financial variables (such as the discount rates or future increases in salaries) and demographic variables (such as mortality and employee turnover). The actuarial assumptions may differ significantly from the actual circumstances and could lead to different cash flows.

The weighted average actuarial assumptions as at the balance sheet date are used to determine the defined benefit liability at that date and the pension expense for the upcoming financial year.

The actuarial assumptions for withdrawal and mortality rates are based on statistical information available in the various countries. In Germany, the Heubeck 2018 G mortality tables are used. In the UK, assumptions are based on the S3 base tables with modified improvement of the life expectancy mortality tables. In South Korea, the KIDI 2019 tables from the Korea Insurance Development Institute are used.

As in the previous year, the calculation of the pension liabilities in Germany is based on a discount rate determined using the ‘Mercer Yield Curve (MYC)’ approach.

Remeasurements, such as gains or losses arising from changes in the actuarial assumptions for defined benefit pension plans or a return on the plan assets exceeding the interest income, are immediately recognized outside the income statement as a change in other reserves in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income.

Of the total pension expenses recorded in the consolidated income statement, an amount of € 42 million (2019: € 25 million) relates to employees of adidas AG and € 3 million (2019: € 4 million) relates to employees in South Korea. The pension expense is mainly recorded within other operating expenses. The production-related part of the pension expenses is recognized within cost of sales.

In the following table, the effects of reasonably conceivable changes in the actuarial assumptions on the present value of the obligation from defined benefit pension plans are analyzed for Germany, the UK and South Korea. In addition, the average duration of the obligation is shown.

Since many pension plans are closed to future accrual, the salary trend plays a minor role in determining pension obligations. Due to the fact that with the introduction of the Core Benefits arrangement, German pension plans are mainly paid as lump sums, the pension increase rate and the mortality assumption have significantly less impact than the discount rate when calculating the pension obligations.

Approximately 96% (2019: 96%) of the total plan assets are allocated to plan assets in the three major countries: Germany (2020: 79%, 2019: 78%), UK (2020: 13%, 2019: 13%) and South Korea (2020: 5%, 2019: 5%).

Part of the plan assets in Germany is held by a trustee under a Contractual Trust Arrangement (CTA) for the purpose of funding the pension obligations of adidas AG and insolvency insurance with regard to part of the pension obligations of adidas AG. The trustee is the registered association adidas Pension Trust e.V. The investment committee of the adidas Pension Trust determines the investment strategy with the goal to match the pension liabilities as far as possible and to generate a sustainable return. In 2020, no additional employer funding contribution was transferred to the trustee. The plan assets in the registered association are mainly invested in real estate, cash and cash equivalents, equity index funds and hybrid bonds. Another part of the plan assets in Germany is invested in insurance contracts via a pension fund and a provident fund. For this portion, an insurance entity is responsible for the determination and the implementation of the investment strategy.

In the UK, the plan assets are held in an external trust. The investment strategy is aligned with the structure of the pension obligations in these countries. In the rest of the world, the plan assets consist predominantly of insurance contracts.

The expected payments for the 2021 financial year amount to € 19 million. Thereof, € 13 million relate to benefits directly paid to pensioners by the subsidiaries and € 6 million to employer contributions paid into the plan assets. In 2020, the actual return on plan assets (including interest income) was € 19 million (2019: return on plan assets of € 28 million).

All equities and bonds are traded freely and have a quoted market price in an active market.

At each balance sheet date, the company analyzes the over- or underfunding and, where appropriate, adjusts the composition of plan assets.