German sportswear giant Adidas has announced it will cut up to 500 jobs. The company is looking to continue its resurgence and turn the page on an unpleasant break-up with US rapper Kanye West.

The downsizing, aimed at boosting efficiency, will affect staff at Adidas's headquarters in Herzogenaurach and will take place on a voluntary basis, chief executive Björn Gulden said.

Gulden took over the sports brand's leadership in 2023 after parting ways with West, now named Ye, over the rapper's anti-Semitic statements, AFP reported.

After the collaboration ended, Adidas began unloading excess stock of Yeezy products developed with West.

On March 5, Adidas said it sold the last remaining pair of Yeezy-branded sneakers in the final quarter of last year.

The parting with West and revenue from the lucrative sportswear line led Adidas to a loss in 2023, but the group has since recovered.

Adidas made a net profit of €824m in 2024 and said it hoped to continue the upward trend in 2025.

The company said it expects a "high single-digit rate" of sales growth overall in 2025, despite the lack of major sporting events that could boost sales.

Goulden pointed out that the impact of U.S. tariffs that President Donald Trump is threatening key trading partners such as China with is uncertain.

"We don't know what's going to happen with U.S. tariffs," the CEO said. | BGNES