Frankfurt: Adidas said on Thursday that it performed better than expected in 2015 and is confident for this year, even if the US market still appears to be something of an Achilles heel for the German maker of sportshoes and equipment. “Driven by the stellar operational performance,” net profit climbed by 12 per cent to €720 million (Dh2.9 billion), “despite a higher-than-expected tax rate,” adidas said in a statement. In 2015, group sales grew by 16 per cent to €16.9 billion [$19 billion], and “the strong top-line momentum was driven by double-digit sales growth in Western Europe, China and Latin America as well as the Middle East, Asia and Africa region,” it added.