Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

China’s economy was only beginning to open up in the late 1980s when a determined high school dropout, Ding Shizhong, arrived in Beijing carrying 600 pairs of shoes, AzerNEWS reports, citing foreign media.

He had the shoes produced at a relative’s factory and set out to sell them himself. The profits from those early sales allowed him to open his first small workshop, where he began manufacturing footwear for other companies. At just 17, he became part of a new wave of entrepreneurs emerging as market reforms gained momentum under the oversight of the Communist Party.

But Ding’s ambitions extended far beyond small-scale production.

Over the years, his business grew into Anta Sports, now one of the largest sportswear groups in the world. The company has built an impressive portfolio of international brands, including Arc'teryx and Salomon, and has even acquired a stake in Puma.

Today, Anta is positioning itself as a serious competitor to global giants like Nike and Adidas. Back in 2005, Ding clearly outlined his vision: he didn’t want to build “the Nike of China,” but rather “the Anta of the world.”

Although the brand is still gaining recognition in Western markets, it already operates more than 10,000 stores across China and sponsors elite athletes such as Eileen Gu, one of the most prominent figures in winter sports.

In February, Anta took another step in its global expansion by opening its first U.S. retail location—a flagship store in Beverly Hills.

Anta’s rise is its strategy: instead of relying solely on organic growth, the company aggressively expanded through acquisitions, buying established international brands and integrating them into its ecosystem. Analysts say this approach has allowed Anta to quickly gain global credibility—something that typically takes decades to build.