Puma has shifted management of its North American distribution network to Maersk, handing the Danish logistics operator control of three AutoStore-equipped facilities totaling roughly 2.3 million square feet in Torrance, California; Phoenix; and Whitestown, Indiana.

The Sept. 24 agreement expands a partnership that already covers ocean shipping, air freight, customs, inland transport and fulfillment for the German sportswear brand. Terms were not disclosed.

For Maersk, the deal extends its contract-logistics footprint inside a wholesale channel that has long resisted outsourcing. It also unlocks new inventory the carrier can monetize: Maersk will be able to use available capacity at all three Puma sites for other clients, starting in 2027 at the Torrance site.

The Torrance facility, equipped for about 20 million units of annual throughput, marks Maersk's first deployment of AutoStore technology to support multiple customer operations on a single site.

What changes in Puma's channel economics?

The handoff converts three of Puma's largest fixed-cost distribution assets into a variable-cost operating expense, an arrangement that typically lifts gross margin in the first reporting cycle but compresses it if automation utilization slips. Dave Hune, North America head of Maersk contract logistics, framed the appeal to Puma and others in capital terms: "Many companies are looking for ways to get more value from the logistics infrastructure they've already invested in."

For Puma, the move concentrates inventory decisions with a single operator that also controls inbound ocean and air freight. The result is tighter ties between replenishment lead times and wholesale order cycles — a key lever in athletic footwear, where stockouts cost share and overstocks trigger markdowns that drag gross margin.

How does Maersk monetize the spare capacity?

Reselling the unused volume is the central economic argument. Maersk will absorb the fixed cost of running the AutoStore grids and robots, then fill the remaining space with apparel, footwear or e-commerce customers willing to co-locate near Los Angeles/Long Beach and other West Coast gateways.

The Torrance deployment is the test case. Beginning in 2027, the site will open to other brands that need automated order fulfillment close to air and ocean gateways. The 20-million-unit annual throughput target is the disclosed operating envelope; Maersk has not disclosed pricing or expected utilization rates.

The model echoes a 2024 omnichannel fulfillment center Maersk opened for Levi Strauss & Co., and a $100 million facility in Hopedale, Massachusetts, built this year for an undisclosed large-scale e-commerce customer. Maersk is methodically converting former ocean-only customers into multi-service logistics accounts, using contract logistics as the wedge.

What does this signal for footwear distribution?

Sportswear remains one of the most demanding categories for inventory turns, given seasonal product drops, rapid SKU churn and tight wholesale replenishment windows. Handing distribution to a third party with shared automation assets gives Puma a path to faster turns without carrying the capex itself, but it also cedes some control over service levels to a single vendor.

For Maersk, the Puma account is a flagship reference in athletic apparel, a vertical where competitors like XPO, GXO and DHL Supply Chain operate similar shared-warehouse models. Each new brand slotted into the Torrance site raises throughput per square foot and dilutes Maersk's fixed cost base, lifting unit economics of the AutoStore grid.

What's the next read-through?

Watch Maersk's 2027 contract-logistics volume disclosures for utilization at the Torrance site, and Puma's reported inventory days and gross margin in the first two quarters after the transition. Those numbers will determine whether the model scales to other Puma regions and whether other athletic brands follow.