Adidas spending on marketing, stores to hit margins

A replica of a Adidas Brazuca soccer ball, the official ball used during the 2014 World Cup final match between Germany and Argentina, is displayed at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro in this July 12, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/Files

BERLIN (Reuters) - Adidas, the world's second-biggest sportswear firm, will ramp up spending on marketing following a profit warning last week as it seeks to halt the advance of market leader Nike.

The German group said it planned to boost marketing spending to about 13 percent of sales in 2014 and to 13-14 percent in 2015, but would aim to compensate for that with stronger sales growth and tighter cost control.