Short answer: As of July 2026, Adidas has a substantial and growing commercial presence in Israel. Its products sell through roughly 40 physical franchise stores run by the Israeli company Electra Consumer Products, and Adidas licenses its global underwear line to the Israeli manufacturer Delta Galil. Adidas takes no formal political side on the Israel/Palestine conflict, and it is not on the official BDS priority boycott list, but the popular claim that Adidas has no physical stores in Israel is simply false.
What the record actually shows
Adidas is a German sportswear company, and like much of its Middle East business, its Israeli brand runs through a local franchise partner rather than company-owned stores. There are two distinct, verifiable Israeli ties here: local retail through Electra, and global production through Delta Galil (which also makes underwear for Nike and Calvin Klein). Here is the documented record, with sources.
- A global underwear license with an Israeli manufacturer (June 22, 2021). Adidas signed a worldwide license with Delta Galil Industries, an Israeli clothing maker, to design, manufacture, and distribute Adidas men's and women's underwear across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and North America (Globes).
- An Israeli company took over the retail franchise (October 8, 2023). Electra Consumer Products (Tel Aviv Stock Exchange: ECP) completed its takeover of the Adidas franchise in Israel, running about 39 to 40 branches with roughly 400 employees (Globes).
- Israeli sales grew sharply in 2024. The head of the Israeli franchise reported sales up more than 40% for 2024, well above global retail growth, a sign of an expanding market, not an absent one (Globes).
- Adidas does issue Israel-related statements. In July 2024 it pulled its SL72 sneaker campaign with model Bella Hadid and apologized publicly, after Israel and Jewish groups noted that the shoe traces to the 1972 Munich Olympics, where 11 Israeli athletes were murdered (CNN).
- A real, physical footprint under fire. In March 2026 Adidas confirmed one of its franchise stores in Israel was hit by an explosive device during the Iran-linked conflict. The store was closed and no employees were harmed, and Adidas said around 3,000 people work across its 350 chain and franchise stores in the affected region (Reuters).
Where the boycott talk comes from
Adidas does have history that boycott campaigns cite, so it is worth being precise. In 2018 Adidas declined to renew its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association after a BDS pressure campaign over Israeli teams playing in West Bank settlements. Adidas said the decision was not politically motivated and thanked the association for the collaboration, while BDS activists publicly claimed it as a victory. Because that point can surprise people, it is worth noting that it is confirmed both by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre and by the BDS movement's own announcement.
On the boycott question itself, the official BDS movement does not currently list Adidas as a priority or consumer target. Its football-kit pressure has shifted to Reebok, which took over the Israel Football Association kit deal. The viral boycott Adidas graphics that still circulate are grassroots activism, and they typically point to the Delta Galil underwear tie rather than any formal BDS campaign. In short, the chatter is real, but it is not backed by the official BDS priority list.
The bottom line
The old Adidas is absent from Israel story is wrong on its central point. Adidas sells through about 40 physical franchise stores run by an Israeli company (Electra), grew Israeli sales more than 40% in 2024, and licenses its worldwide underwear line to Israeli manufacturer Delta Galil. Adidas does not take a public side on the conflict, but it does speak up when Israel-related controversies arise. It is not on the official BDS priority boycott list, so anyone who sees Adidas on a viral boycott graphic is looking at grassroots activism, not the formal campaign. The full picture is a brand that is commercially present and expanding in Israel, publicly cautious about taking sides, and absent from the formal boycott list.
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Last updated July 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
