Puma CEO Says Company Is Off to a ‘Very Solid Start’ in 2026 as Stock Ticks Up on Turnaround Progress

In footwear, Nitro running and Hyrox-related products are doing well, while low-profile silhouettes are dominating the lifestyle shoe category.​In footwear, Nitro running and Hyrox-related products are doing well, while low-profile silhouettes are dominating the lifestyle shoe category. 

Puma chief executive officer Arthur Hoeld, who took on the top job in July, told analysts on the company’s first quarter 2026 conference call on Thursday that the brand saw a “very solid start” to the year.

“We’ve made significant progress this year already in our operating model, which is necessary to build the foundation for our future growth here at Puma,” Hoeld said. “Despite the macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties, we do remain confident on our track to achieve our plans for this year and beyond.”

Overall, the German sports company reported that sales in Q1 fell 1 percent, in currency-adjusted terms, to 1.86 billion euros. This was above market expectations. Analysts had expected a decline of close to 3 percent and sales of only 1.82 billion euros, which sent shares for Puma SE to gain nearly 3 percent on Thursday.

Hoeld noted on the call that declines in Q1 were offset by continued clearance of inventory, while wholesale declined due to lower demand primarily in EMEA.

The footwear division — the company’s largest category — declined 2.3 percent in Q1 due to “continued challenges in the [lifestyle models],” the CEO noted. However, he added that he’s “very encouraged by solid development” in the brand’s Nitro running franchise as well as the rapid expansion of Hyrox-related products.

Hoeld also spoke about rebuilding brand heat, which is expected to reach its stride by the spring/summer 2027 collection. “We’re making progress in terms of building on our strength, which is definitely the Nitro platform across running and training,” he said. “Specifically, we will launch new products in both areas, and we have received pretty positive feedback in the same vein as for our new football boots collection.”

Much work is still needed in Puma’s lifestyle footwear categories, the CEO admitted. But Puma is seeing “continued success” in low-profile models. “Our efforts are clearly now around making the [low-profile] set a more iconic proposition in ’27 with brand activities starting in ’26 again and then also further dimensioning our offer with lifestyle running as one of the key future pillars,” Hoeld maintained. “These efforts have started to be built into spring/summer ’27, but they will be by no means complete yet from a product nor from a marketing activation perspective.”

The CEO added that low-profile models are seeing “significant traction” in most Asian markets like Korea, Japan, China and Southeast Asia. In North America, the trend is catching on among style conscious female consumers. “We recognize a continuation of the low-profile trend, where only very few brands are [currently] playing,” Hoeld said. “But it’s also worthwhile noting that our ‘reset activities’ last year are definitely paying off now. So by rightsizing the market, rightsizing the volumes that are out there, we are extending and prolonging the life cycle of these silhouettes, which are very much the benefit of our product range and our product offer.”

Along with its most recent earnings, Puma also announced a new chief financial officer. Effective May 1, Mark Langer will take on the CFO role and will be responsible for finance, tax, legal, investor relations and internal audit. He succeeds Markus Neubrand, who held the role since October 2024.

Langer joins Puma from Douglas AG, where he led key transformation initiatives across the finance function to drive profitable growth as CFO and member of the managing board. Prior to this, he spent over 17 years at Hugo Boss AG serving as CEO from 2016 to 2020 and as CFO from 2010 to 2017.