Private company

Hummel International

Logo: hummel Cenozoic ApS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Danish manufacturing company of sportswear

Hummel International Sport & Leisure A/S, commonly known as Hummel (stylized hummel), is a German-founded Danish manufacturing company of sportswear brand based in Aarhus. It is owned by Thornico. The Hummel logo is a stylized bumblebee, as Hummel is German for "bumblebee".2 It employed 919 people in 2021.1 Its revenue was DKK 1.9 billion in 2021.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1923Founded1
  • Industryclothing industry, retail1
  • HeadquartersAarhus1
  • Founded inHamburg1
  • Websitewww.hummel.net
  • Legal formaktieselskab1
Lewes FC Women 1 Southampton Women 4 27 08 2023-692
Photo: James Boyes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

Hummel International Sport & Leisure A/S, commonly known as Hummel (stylized hummel), is a German-founded Danish manufacturing company of sportswear brand based in Aarhus. It is owned by Thornico. The Hummel logo is a stylized bumblebee, as Hummel is German for "bumblebee".2

Corporate structure

Hummel International is part of a group headed by Thornico. 5 entities, 2 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • Thornico Odense, Denmark
    • Hummel International Aarhus
    • Brødrene Hartmann Subsidiary · Gentofte, Denmark
      • HARTMANN HUNGARY LLC Subsidiary · Ács, Hungary
    • Thornico Food & Food Technology Group Subsidiary · Denmark

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

The company was founded in 1923 by Max Albrecht Ludwig Messmer and his father Michael Messmer under the name "Messmer & Co" in Hamburg, Germany; that same year, the Messmer brothers introduced the first football boots to the world. Hummel became Danish after being taken over by Bernhard Weckenbrock in 1956, who moved its base to Kevelaer, North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 1999, Hummel has been a part of the Danish Thornico Group founded by Christian and Thor Stadil.

From Wikipedia’s article on Hummel International, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

  • sportswear

Listed on Wikidata.1

The company currently manufactures apparel for football, rugby league, futsal, handball, basketball, shinty, volleyball and esports teams. Moreover, the company also offers apparel and footwear for adults and children alongside its fashion sub-brand, Hummel HIVE.

Being one of the oldest sportswear brands in the business with roots in football and handball, Hummel has previously been worn by football teams such as Real Madrid, Red Star Belgrade, Sunderland, Southampton, Aston Villa, Benfica, Coventry City and the Danish national team. In 2025, they signed a multi-year league wide partnership with The Canadian Premier League.

In 2016, they created a hijab-friendly uniform for the women's Afghanistan national team, debuting the uniform on International Women's Day.

From Wikipedia’s article on Hummel International, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Owners

From Wikidata.1

Employees over time

  • 20219191

Revenue over time

As stated on Wikidata, in the currency reported.

Revenue

  • 20211.9B DKK1

Timeline

  1. 1923Founded Founded in Hamburg1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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