Puma gets boost from World Cup, Arsenal deal

BERLIN (Reuters) - German sportswear firm Puma said sales of World Cup soccer boots and national team shirts as well as new Arsenal jerseys beat its expectations as it reported second-quarter earnings that fell less than feared and reiterated its outlook.

Puma is trying to restore its reputation for sports performance gear after a foray into fashion has seen it slip further behind the world's biggest sportswear firms Nike and Adidas . To that end, it ousted Nike as kit supplier to English soccer club Arsenal from next season.