{
  "id": 76756,
  "title": "Nike, Adidas and Puma once sourced from this Punjab city. What happened?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/nike-adidas-and-puma-once-sourced-from-this-punjab-city-what-happened",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-03T07:52:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "YourStory",
    "slug": "yourstory",
    "url": "https://yourstory.com/2026/08/jalandhar-sports-goods-industry"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For decades, various sporting goods like footballs, rugby balls, cricket bats, and hockey sticks bearing labels such as Nike, Adidas, Puma, and Slazenger were produced in Jalandhar, a mid-sized city in Punjab that is not often discussed in global sports conversations. At its peak, Jalandhar's specialized cluster supplied products to over 130 countries. However, the narrative has evolved, and its decline offers valuable insights into the rise and fall of industrial dominance. The industry in Jalandhar did not originate there; it originated in Sialkot in Pakistan, where British colonial influence fostered early demand for locally manufactured cricket and hockey equipment. Following the 1947 Partition, engineers and skilled workers relocated across the border, reconstructing the industry in Jalandhar and to a lesser extent, Meerut. This transformed into a major industrial hub, with estimates suggesting Jalandhar accounted for roughly 90% of India's sports goods export market during the 1980s and 90s. The origins of this industry lay in labor-intensive craftsmanship, including hand-stitched balls, precision-cut cricket bats using Kashmir willow, and expertly crafted hockey sticks, produced largely by small and medium enterprises and home-based contracted labor rather than large factories. Inflatable balls constitute approximately 60% of Jalandhar's production, and India emerged as a significant supplier of such products to global brands like Mitre, Lotto, Umbro, and Wilson. Despite its once-supreme position, Jalandhar's share of India's sports goods exports has dwindled from 90% to around 35%, while Meerut in Uttar Pradesh has risen to about 45% of the market and is now India's largest cluster. The primary reason for this shift is the influx of cheap Chinese imports, which have flooded both domestic and international markets. Chinese manufacturers have gained a significant advantage through automation, reduced production costs, and advanced technology that traditional, craftsmanship-heavy small enterprises in Jalandhar struggle to match. In FY25, India's sports goods exports, which encompass toys, board games, and fitness and recreational items, reached $400.1 million, an increase of about 8% compared to the previous year. However, exports of sports equipment make up a smaller fraction of this total, and even less in comparison to China's standing in the global market. Despite the challenges, Jalandhar's survival is attributed to its specialized craftsmanship in areas less susceptible to automation. Hand-stitched balls and traditional protective gear still hold a genuine advantage for the cluster, and its manufacturers still cater to buyers across Europe and North America, including the UK, US, Germany, France, and Australia. Meerut, meanwhile, has capitalized on its historical buyer connections forged during pre-independence times and the adoption of technology in quality testing and logistics. The sports goods sector in India directly and indirectly supports over 500,000 livelihoods, with a significant portion belonging to women in a historically labor-intensive industry. This story of Jalandhar's journey from near-monopoly to a declining position in the sports goods export market serves as both a cautionary tale and a testament to resilience. The once-dominant industry in Punjab now faces the challenge of maintaining its position in a global market increasingly dominated by cost-effective, automated production. The next time you purchase sporting goods from a renowned international brand, there is still a possibility that the hands that crafted it are from a small workshop in Punjab, holding onto a dwindling but still significant piece of a once overwhelmingly controlled business.",
  "summary": "Jalandhar once dominated India’s sports goods exports, but Chinese competition and slow automation sharply reduced its global lead.",
  "key_points": [
    "Jalandhar once supplied sports goods to 130+ countries at peak.",
    "Industry shifted from Jalandhar to Meerut post-1947 Partition.",
    "Chinese imports and automation led to Jalandhar's market share decline."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}