Adidas AG has initiated an internal investigation into allegations of bribery at its China operations after receiving a whistleblower complaint detailing claims of embezzlement by senior staff, as reported by the Financial Times. The anonymous letter pointed fingers at several Chinese employees, including a senior manager responsible for Adidas’s marketing budget in the region.
The accusations suggest that Adidas staff may have received kickbacks from external service providers, with one senior manager in a different division allegedly receiving significant sums of cash and physical items such as real estate from suppliers. While Adidas has not issued a formal response to requests for comment by Bloomberg, the company did confirm to the Financial Times that it had received the whistleblower letter on June 7, raising concerns about potential compliance violations in China.
In a statement, Adidas emphasized its commitment to upholding legal, internal regulations, and ethical standards in all the markets it operates in. With the support of external legal counsel, the company stated that it is actively investigating the matter to ensure transparency and adherence to ethical business practices.