Disclosures pursuant to § 315a Section 1 and § 289a Section 1 of the German Commercial Code and Explanatory Report
Composition of subscribed capital
The nominal capital of adidas AG amounts to € 200,416,186 (as at December 31, 2020) and is divided into the same number of registered no-par-value shares with a notional pro rata amount in the nominal capital of € 1 each. The nominal capital and the number of shares did not change in the 2020 financial year. The shares are fully paid in. Any claim on the part of the shareholders to the issuance of individual share certificates is generally excluded pursuant to § 4 section 9 of the Articles of Association unless such issuance is required in accordance with the regulations applicable at a stock exchange where the shares are admitted. Pursuant to § 67 section 2 German Stock Corporation Act (Aktiengesetz – AktG), in relation to adidas AG, only a person who is registered as such in the share register shall be deemed a shareholder. Each share grants one vote at the Annual General Meeting and determines the shareholders’ share in the company’s profit. All shares carry the same rights and obligations. The shareholders’ individual rights and obligations follow from the provisions of the German Stock Corporation Act, in particular from §§ 12, 53a et seq., 118 et seq. and 186 AktG. As at December 31, 2020, adidas AG held 5,350,126 treasury shares in total, which do not confer any rights to the company in accordance with § 71b AktG. Note 27
In the USA, adidas AG has issued American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). ADRs are deposit certificates of non-US shares that are traded instead of the original shares on US stock exchanges. Two ADRs equal one adidas AG share. Our Share
Restrictions on voting rights or transfer of shares
We are not aware of any contractual agreements with adidas AG or other agreements restricting voting rights or the transfer of shares. Based on the Code of Conduct and internal guidelines of adidas AG and based on Article 19 section 11 of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (Market Abuse Regulation), however, particular trade prohibitions do exist for Executive Board members with regard to the purchase and sale of adidas AG shares, in connection with the (time of) publication of half-year or year-end financial reports.
In addition, restrictions of voting rights may exist pursuant to, inter alia, § 136 AktG or for treasury shares pursuant to § 71b AktG as well as due to capital market regulations, in particular pursuant to §§ 33 et seq. German Securities Trading Act (Wertpapierhandelsgesetz – WpHG).
The shares that were issued in the context of the Stock Purchase Plan to employees of adidas AG and employees of subsidiaries participating in the Stock Purchase Plan are not subject to any lock-up periods, unless such a waiting period is stipulated in locally applicable regulations. Employees who hold the shares which they purchased themselves (investment shares) for at least one year will subsequently receive one share for every six investment shares without having to pay for these shares (matching share) if they are still adidas employees at that point in time. If employees transfer, pledge or hypothecate investment shares in any way during the one-year vesting period, the right to receive matching shares ceases.
Shareholdings in share capital exceeding 10% of voting rights
We have not been notified of, and are not aware of, any direct or indirect shareholdings in the share capital of adidas AG reaching or exceeding 10% of the voting rights.
Shares with special rights
There are no shares bearing special rights. In particular, there are no shares with rights conferring powers of control.
Voting right control if employees have a share in the capital
Like all other shareholders, employees who hold adidas AG shares exercise their control rights directly in accordance with statutory provisions and the Articles of Association. The shares which employees acquire in the context of the Stock Purchase Plan are held in trust centrally by a service provider on behalf of the participating employees. As long as the shares are held in trust, the trustee shall take reasonable measures to enable participating employees to directly or indirectly exercise their voting rights in respect of the shares held in trust.
Executive Board appointment and dismissal
Pursuant to § 6 of the Articles of Association and § 84 AktG, the Supervisory Board is responsible for determining the exact number of members of the Executive Board, for their appointment and dismissal as well as for the appointment of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The adidas AG Executive Board, which, as a basic principle, comprises at least two members, currently consists of the CEO and five further members. Executive Board members may be appointed for a maximum period of five years. Such appointments may be renewed and the terms of office may be extended, provided that no term exceeds five years. Executive Board
The Supervisory Board may revoke the appointment of an individual as member of the Executive Board or CEO if there is good cause, such as gross negligence of duties or a vote of no confidence by the Annual General Meeting.
As adidas AG is subject to the regulations of the German Co-Determination Act (Mitbestimmungsgesetz – MitbestG), the appointment of Executive Board members and also their dismissal require a majority of at least two thirds of the Supervisory Board members (§ 31 MitbestG). If such a majority is not established in the first vote by the Supervisory Board, the Mediation Committee has to present a proposal which, however, does not exclude other proposals. The appointment or dismissal is then made in a second vote with a simple majority of the votes cast by the Supervisory Board members. Should the required majority not be established in this case either, a third vote, again requiring a simple majority, must be held in which the Chairman of the Supervisory Board has two votes.
If the Executive Board does not have the required number of members, the competent court must, in urgent cases, make the necessary appointment upon application (§ 85 section 1 AktG).
Amendments to the articles of association
Pursuant to §§ 119 section 1 number 5, 179 section 1 sentence 1 AktG, the Articles of Association of adidas AG can, in principle, only be amended by a resolution passed by the Annual General Meeting. Pursuant to § 21 section 3 of the Articles of Association in conjunction with § 179 section 2 sentence 2 AktG, the Annual General Meeting of adidas AG principally resolves upon amendments to the Articles of Association with a simple majority of the votes cast and with a simple majority of the nominal capital represented when passing the resolution. If mandatory legal provisions stipulate a larger majority of voting rights or capital, this is applicable. When it comes to amendments solely relating to the wording, the Supervisory Board is authorized to make these modifications in accordance with § 179 section 1 sentence 2 AktG in conjunction with § 10 section 1 sentence 2 of the Articles of Association.
Authorizations of the Executive Board
The authorizations of the Executive Board are regulated by §§ 76 et seq. AktG in conjunction with §§ 7 and 8 of the Articles of Association. The Executive Board is responsible, in particular, for managing the company and represents the company judicially and extra-judicially.
Authorization of the Executive Board to issue shares
The authorization of the Executive Board to issue shares is regulated by § 4 of the Articles of Association and by statutory provisions:
Authorized Capital
- Until June 14, 2021, the Executive Board is authorized to increase the nominal capital, subject to Supervisory Board approval, by issuing new shares against contributions in cash once or several times by no more than € 4,000,000 altogether (Authorized Capital 2016). Any repurchased treasury shares of the company which are used by the company for employee stock purchase plans during the term of this authorization shall be attributed to the maximum number of 4,000,000 shares. Shareholders’ subscription rights shall be excluded. The new shares may only be issued to (current and former) employees of the company and its affiliated companies as well as to (current and former) members of management bodies of the company’s affiliated companies (‘eligible persons’).
- Until June 7, 2022, the Executive Board is authorized to increase the nominal capital, subject to Supervisory Board approval, by issuing new shares against contributions in cash once or several times by no more than € 50,000,000 altogether (Authorized Capital 2017/I). The Executive Board may, subject to Supervisory Board approval, exclude residual amounts from shareholders’ subscription rights.
- Until June 7, 2022, the Executive Board is authorized to increase the nominal capital, subject to Supervisory Board approval, by issuing new shares against contributions in cash once or several times by no more than € 20,000,000 altogether (Authorized Capital 2017/III). The Executive Board may, subject to Supervisory Board approval, exclude residual amounts from shareholders’ subscription rights. Additionally, the Executive Board may, subject to Supervisory Board approval, exclude shareholders’ subscription rights when issuing the new shares at a price not significantly below the stock market price of the company’s shares already quoted on the stock exchange at the point in time when the issue price is ultimately determined, which should be as close as possible to the placement of the shares; this exclusion of subscription rights can also be associated with the listing of the company’s shares on a foreign stock exchange. The authorization to exclude subscription rights pursuant to the previous sentence may, however, only be used to the extent that the pro rata amount of the new shares in the nominal capital together with the pro rata amount in the nominal capital of other shares which have been issued by adidas AG since May 11, 2017, subject to the exclusion of subscription rights pursuant to or in accordance with § 186 section 3 sentence 4 AktG on the basis of an authorized capital or following a repurchase, or for which subscription or conversion rights or subscription or conversion obligations have been granted since May 11, 2017, through the issuance of convertible bonds and/or bonds with warrants, with subscription rights excluded pursuant to § 186 section 3 sentence 4 AktG, does not exceed 10% of the nominal capital existing on the date of the entry of this authorization into the commercial register or – if this amount is lower – on the respective date on which the resolution on utilization of the authorization is adopted. The overall volume of the shares issued based on this authorization with the exclusion of subscription rights – together with shares issued against contributions in kind with the exclusion of subscription rights from the Authorized Capital 2017/II – must not exceed 10% of the nominal capital existing at the date of the respective issuance. This deduction clause shall not apply if residual amounts of shares are excluded from subscription rights.
- Until June 13, 2024, the Executive Board is authorized to increase the nominal capital, subject to Supervisory Board approval, by issuing new shares against contributions in kind once or several times by no more than € 16,000,000 altogether (Authorized Capital 2019). The Executive Board may, subject to Supervisory Board approval, exclude shareholders’ subscription rights. The overall volume of the shares issued with the exclusion of subscription rights based on this authorization must not exceed 10% of the nominal capital existing at the point in time when this authorization becomes effective or, in case this amount is lower, at the date of the respective issuance. The nominal capital which is attributed to the shares to be issued to service option or conversion rights or option or conversion obligations from bonds, debt securities or participation rights to the extent that they are issued during the term of the authorization until the date of the respective exercise of this authorization with the exclusion of subscription rights, or which is attributed to shares which are issued or sold during the term of the authorization until the date of the respective exercise of this authorization with the exclusion of subscription rights, has to be included in the aforementioned limit of 10%. This deduction clause shall not apply if residual amounts of shares are excluded from subscription rights. The Authorized Capital 2019 must not be used to issue shares within the scope of compensation or participation programs for Executive Board members or employees or for members of the management bodies or employees of subsidiaries. Note 27
Contingent Capital
The nominal capital of the company is conditionally increased by up to € 12,500,000 (Contingent Capital 2018). The Contingent Capital serves the purpose of granting holders or creditors of bonds that were issued based on the resolution of the Annual General Meeting on May 9, 2018 subscription or conversion rights relating to no more than a total of 12,500,000 shares in compliance with the corresponding conditions of the bonds. Based on the authorization granted by the Annual General Meeting on May 9, 2018, the Executive Board is authorized to issue bonds with warrants and/or convertible bonds in an aggregate nominal value of up to € 2,500,000,000 with or without a limited term against contributions in cash once or several times until May 8, 2023, and to guarantee bonds issued by subordinated Group companies. The Executive Board is also authorized, subject to Supervisory Board approval, to exclude shareholders’ subscription rights for residual amounts and to exclude shareholders’ subscription rights insofar as this is necessary for granting subscription rights to which holders or creditors of previously issued bonds are entitled. Finally, the Executive Board is authorized, subject to Supervisory Board approval, to also exclude shareholders’ subscription rights if the issue price of the bonds is not significantly below the hypothetical market value of these bonds and the number of shares to be issued does not exceed 10% of the nominal capital. Treasury shares which are or will be sold with the exclusion of subscription rights in accordance with § 71 section 1 no. 8 in conjunction with § 186 section 3 sentence 4 AktG between the starting date of the term of this authorization and the issuance of the respective bonds shall be attributed to the aforementioned limit of 10%. Shares which are or will be issued, subject to the exclusion of subscription rights pursuant to § 186 section 3 sentence 4 AktG or pursuant to § 203 section 1 in conjunction with § 186 section 3 sentence 4 AktG between the starting date of the term of this authorization and the issuance of the respective bonds in the context of a cash capital increase shall also be attributed to the aforementioned limit of 10%. Finally, shares for which there are option or conversion rights or obligations or a right to delivery of shares of the company in favor of the company due to bonds with warrants or convertible bonds issued by the company or its subordinated Group companies, subject to the exclusion of subscription rights in accordance with § 221 section 4 sentence 2 in conjunction with § 186 section 3 sentence 4 AktG during the term of this authorization based on other authorizations shall be attributed to the aforementioned limit of 10%. Notwithstanding the Supervisory Board’s right to determine further approval requirements, the Executive Board requires the Supervisory Board’s approval for the issuance of bonds with warrants and/or convertible bonds based on this authorization of the Annual General Meeting on May 9, 2018 with the exclusion of shareholders’ subscription rights.
The Executive Board has so far not utilized the authorization to issue bonds with warrants and/or convertible bonds granted by the Annual General Meeting on May 9, 2018.
Authorization of the Executive Board to repurchase shares
The authorizations of the Executive Board to repurchase adidas AG shares arise from §§ 71 et seq. AktG and, as at the balance sheet date, from the authorization granted by the Annual General Meeting on May 12, 2016.
Until May 11, 2021, the Executive Board is authorized to repurchase adidas AG shares amounting to a total of 10% of the nominal capital at the date of the resolution (or, as the case may be, a lower amount of nominal capital at the date of utilization of the authorization) for any lawful purpose and within the legal framework. The authorization may be used by the company but also by its subordinated Group companies or by third parties on account of the company or its subordinated Group companies or third parties assigned by the company or one of its subordinated Group companies.
The repurchase can be carried out via the stock exchange, through a public invitation to submit sale offers, through a public repurchase offer, or through granting tender rights to shareholders. The authorization furthermore sets out the lowest and highest nominal value that may be granted in each case.
The purposes for which treasury shares repurchased based on this authorization may be used are set out in the resolution on Item 9 of the Agenda for the Annual General Meeting held on May 12, 2016. The shares may in particular be used as follows:
- They may be sold on the stock exchange or through a public offer to all shareholders in relation to their shareholding quota; in case of an offer to all shareholders, subscription rights for residual amounts are excluded. The shares may also be sold differently, provided the shares are sold in exchange for a cash payment and at a price that, at the time of the sale, is not significantly below the stock market price of the company’s shares with the same features; the prorated amount of the nominal capital which is attributable to the aggregate number of shares sold under this authorization may not exceed 10% of the nominal capital. The prorated amount of the nominal capital attributable to new shares issued between May 12, 2016 and the sale of the shares based on an authorized capital with the exclusion of shareholders’ subscription rights pursuant to § 203 section 1 in conjunction with § 186 section 3 sentence 4 AktG shall be attributed to the limit of 10%. Likewise, the prorated amount of the nominal capital that is attributable to shares which may be issued due to bonds with warrants and/or convertible bonds which are linked to subscription or conversion rights or obligations or the company’s right to delivery of shares, provided these bonds are issued on the basis of authorizations pursuant to §§ 221 section 4, 186 section 3 sentence 4 AktG between May 12, 2016 and the sale of the shares, shall also be attributed to the limit of 10%.
- They may be offered and assigned as consideration for the direct or indirect acquisition of companies, parts of companies, participations in companies or other economic assets or within the scope of company mergers.
- They may be offered and sold as consideration for the acquisition of industrial property rights or intangible property rights or for the acquisition of licenses relating to such rights, also through subordinated Group companies.
- They may be used for purposes of meeting the subscription or conversion rights or obligations or the company’s right to delivery of shares arising from bonds with warrants and/or convertible bonds issued by the company or its subordinated Group companies.
- In connection with employee stock purchase plans, up to 4,000,000 shares may be issued in favor of (current and former) employees of the company and its affiliated companies as well as in favor of (current and former) management bodies of the company’s affiliated companies. The number of shares the company issues to eligible persons by partially utilizing the Authorized Capital 2016 shall be attributed to the maximum number of 4,000,000 shares.
- They may be canceled without such cancelation requiring an additional resolution of the Annual General Meeting.
Furthermore, the shares may be promised or assigned to members of the Executive Board as compensation by way of a stock bonus subject to the provision that resale by the Executive Board members shall only be permitted following a retention period of at least three years from the date of assignment. Responsibility in this case lies with the Supervisory Board.
In case of utilization of shares for the aforementioned purposes, except for the cancelation of shares, shareholders’ subscription rights are excluded.
The Supervisory Board may determine that transactions based on this authorization may only be carried out subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board or one of its committees.
In the 2018, 2019 and 2020 financial years, the Executive Board partly utilized the authorization to repurchase adidas AG shares through the share buyback program 2018 – 2021. In the financial year 2018, in a first tranche, adidas AG bought back 5,089,879 adidas AG shares. In the financial year 2019, in a second tranche, 3,223,214 adidas AG shares were repurchased. In a third tranche, adidas bought back another 953,018 adidas shares in the year under review. In each case, the share buyback took place via the stock exchange. Note 27
In the scope of the authorization resolved upon by the Annual General Meeting on May 12, 2016, the Executive Board is furthermore authorized to conduct the share buyback also by using equity derivatives which are arranged with a credit institution or financial services institution in close conformity with market conditions. adidas AG may acquire call options issued for physical delivery and/or sell put options or use a combination of call and put options or other equity derivatives if the option conditions ensure that the shares delivered for these equity derivatives were purchased in compliance with the principle of equal treatment. All share purchases using the aforementioned equity derivatives are limited to a maximum value of 5% of the nominal capital existing at the date on which the resolution was adopted by the Annual General Meeting (or, as the case may be, a lower amount of nominal capital at the date of utilization of the authorization). The term of the options may not exceed 18 months and must furthermore be chosen in such a way that the shares are acquired upon the exercise of the options no later than May 11, 2021. The authorization furthermore sets out the lowest and highest nominal value that may be granted in each case.
For excluding subscription rights, the use and cancelation of shares purchased using equity derivatives, the general provisions adopted by the Annual General Meeting (set out above) are applicable accordingly.
Change of control/compensation agreements
Substantial agreements that provide for regulations in the case of a change of control are the material financing agreements of adidas AG. In the case of a change of control, these agreements, as is customary in the market, entitle the creditor/bondholder to termination and early calling-in.
No compensation agreements were entered into with members of the Executive Board or employees relating to the event of a takeover bid.