The teaser, which featured a Bastet-like feline roaming Cairo before transforming into the PUMA icon, kicked off a story built on movement, mythology, and modern identity. The buzz led seamlessly into a one-night-only reveal event at Townhall by Kamelizer, District 5, where local tastemakers, artists, athletes, and media gathered to experience the Speedcat up close.

Guests stepped into a world inspired by the spirit of the SPEEDCAT: minimalist yet bold, grounded in performance yet made for the street. The evening’s centerpiece was the reveal of the sneaker itself — sleek, refined, and ready to hit Cairo’s pavement.

Backed by Intertex, PUMA’s main distribution partner in Egypt, the launch helped bring the SPEEDCAT to market while shaping the brand’s local presence, setting the stage for a bold reveal.

From the cinematic CGI teaser to the high-impact launch night, the SPEEDCAT’s arrival has been a cultural moment in motion. It’s not just about sneakers, it’s about connecting legacy to local relevance.

Featuring richly detailed designs that take cues from the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, the apparel is highlighted by the T7 Tracksuit, Jerseys, and a selection of essential staples like Hoodies and T-Shirts. Graphic tees play with Quidditch themes, featuring spellbook-inspired imagery. PUMA x Harry Potter badges appear throughout, in addition to accents like House-inspired crests, and Golden Snitch embroidery that is carefully hidden throughout the range.

The PUMA Palermo is transformed with the colors of Gryffindor and Slytherin, coming in green and silver, or scarlet and gold options. A removable lace shroud is emblazoned with the name of each house, as well as debossing to represent Slytherin’s clever serpent and Gryffindor’s brave lion. PUMA’s Easy Rider also comes with a new asymmetrical design, honoring all four of the Hogwarts houses through subtle color hits on the midsole.

A PUMA x Harry Potter waist bag and cap continue the collection’s school robe-inspired look, utilizing crests and House colors.

This collection is for witches, wizards, and Muggles alike.

“Originally designed for F1 drivers in 1999, the Speedcat evolved from a motorsport essential to street culture staple in the early 2000s. And now, the low-profile shoe is having it's moment again. There’s been a big focus globally on the launch of Speedcat and everyone was aware they’d dropped; but we needed to give them a reason to want to own a pair and be a part of a growing community of Speedcat enthusiasts. So,working with Cockadoodle Studio, we created two activations unique to our launch cities. In Dubai we focused on the city’s dining scene, and in Riyadh we shone a spotlight on the art scene.” – Zarah Rashid, Marketing at PUMA Middle East.
 

Dubai Activation: The Speedcat Menu

In Dubai, PUMA is partnering with the beloved restaurant Lulu & The Beanstalk to create the Speedcat Menu. For the 4 days of the Speedcat takeover, the restaurant will serve limited-edition combos with special-edition packaging for anyone ordering the Speedcat Menu. The menu consists of 5 combos with a very special addition – a free pair of Speedcats.

The rules are simple: Buy a Speedcat combo meal (for the same price as a regular meal). Get a scratch card. If you have a winning scratch card – you get Speedcat and each day they will be given away on a first-come first-served basis. Once all the winning scratch cards are redeemed, the Speedcat Menu will close for the day.

The exclusive promotion will launch on Feb 5th at Lulu & The Beanstalk in Dubai, and run until Feb 8th, from 6-11pm daily.
 

Saudi Arabia Activation: The Chouka Speedcat Vinyl Figure

In Saudi Arabia, PUMA is teaming up with artist Rex Chouk to relaunch the silhouette. Rex Chouk, whose work is known for its bold representation of Saudi life, will be creating a limited-edition Speedcat vinyl figure featuring his iconic character, styled in Speedcat shoes and PUMA apparel.

This collaboration reflects PUMA’s commitment to supporting regional artists and providing exclusive, collectible pieces for sneaker enthusiasts and street art lovers. The Chouka Speedcat vinyl figure will be available at Red Sea Mall Jeddah, Solitaire Mall in Riyadh and Nakheel Dammam from February 6th – 24th in limited quantities for those fast enough to grab a pair of Speedcats.
 

The Puma Speedcat: A Blend of Heritage and Innovation:

Pulled out of the PUMA archive for its 25th anniversary the PUMA Speedcat was reintroduced in the summer of 2024 with immediate celebrity co-signs and sell-out appeal. The iconic performance racing-inspired silhouette has since been treated to collaborations and limited-edition releases, continually evolving with each iteration. The PUMA Speedcat continues to be redefined as it is adopted by the trendsetters and pacesetters of each new generation.

The Speedcat shoes will be available at PUMA stores, PUMA.com and select retailers from February 6th. Keep an eye on PUMA’s official social media channels for updates on how to secure your Speedcat and the exclusive collectibles.

Commenting on the partnership, Nathalie Gevresse, CEO of Publicis Communications UAE said, “We resonate strongly with PUMA’s values of performance and innovation, so we’re thrilled to partner with a brand we can push the boundaries with. Fuelled by the ‘power of one’, we will look to further elevate and expand the PUMA brand across the region through disruptive creativity, impactful consumer engagements, and media that scales.”

“Leo Burnett’s proven track record and deep understanding of this market make them the ideal agency partner of choice to help us amplify the PUMA brand and help us better connect with our consumers.  Their unique ‘Power of One’ proposition will allow us to leverage the best of data, creativity, and tech to deliver impactful campaigns and further strengthen our position as a leader in the sports industry,” said Murat Dulge, Head of Marketing, PUMA Middle East.

Leo Burnett was appointed Agency of Record after a competitive pitch process involving multiple agencies. The agency’s robust creative approach and strategic thinking earned them the appointment.

Capillary Technologies, a cloud-based retail customer engagement management, has announced that it has closed a $14 million Series B round of venture financing led by Sequoia Capital and Norwest Venture Partners (NVP). This new investment adds to the $17 million of Series A funding received in 2012. The funding will be used to enhance Capillary’s cloud-based integrated marketing platform and grow its partnership ecosystem, which already includes Blue Label Engage in South Africa and the American Express US Global Merchants Services group.

“Retailers realize a 15% increase in Average Basket Value and 30% increase in their customer retention rate by implementing our solutions, which is the reason we continue to grow so rapidly around the world,” says Aneesh Reddy, co-founder and CEO of Capillary Technologies. In fact, consumer-facing businesses such as such as Pizza Hut, Puma, Marks & Spencer, Red Tag, Homes r Us, VLCC and Mihyar have witnessed 5-7% increases in sales and 4-6X ROI.

Capillary’s Intelligent Customer Engagement™ (ICE) suite of software solutions incorporates everything that retail marketers require to engage with their customers, weaving social and mobile experiences into any e-commerce platform or point-of-sale device from legacy terminals to POS devices, mobile tablets, and online shopping platforms.

“Capillary has demonstrated that it can scale up successfully and profitably by focusing on a segment that has been underserved by other more expensive and complex solutions,” says Shailesh Lakhani, principal at Sequoia Capital. “The strength of Capillary’s solution is its ability to deliver immediate business results. We are excited to partner with the company in this next crucial phase of its growth.”

Capillary has also partnered with Agilysys, which is a developer and marketer of proprietary enterprise software, services and solutions to the hospitality industry and operates extensively throughout North America, Europe and Asia.  “We are excited to have them on board and our partnership will allow us to bring innovative solutions to companies of all sizes in the hospitality industry,” said Anant Choubey, vice president of the APAC region at Capillary Technologies.

Notable new customers include Marks & Spencer, KFC, Lacoste, Keedo, a leading children’s clothing manufacturers in South Africa, and Courts, a IT and furniture retailer in Southeast Asia.

“We want to continue to provide innovative shopping experiences for our customers.  Capillary’s insights-driven approach has allowed us to more precisely target prospects in six European countries who will be most receptive to our expanded product line,” said Zdenek Hasek, head of marketing at Marks & Spencer for Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Baltics.