Nike emerges as World Cup winner as profits surge

(Getty)

American sportswear giant Nike has emerged as the winner of the World Cup after it reported a sharp rise in profits, leaving rivals Adidas and Reebok knocked out.

Profits soared 23.5 per cent to $962 million for the quarter to the end of August – its first quarter of its 2015 financial year - and sales in the period jumped 14.5 per cent to nearly $8 billion, beating analyst expectations.

More football players at the World Cup wore Nike boots than all other brands combined. Rivals Reebok and Adidas have both reported weak trading recently and in contrast Nike has been growing or maintaining market share globally and improved its gross margin to 46.6 per cent in the period.