New Balance was born in Cambridge, MA in 1906 by 33-year old English immigrant, William J. Riley. Riley had a specific concern with foot health that led him into the field of prescription footwear. Up until this time, very few shoes took into consideration the shape of the bottom of the foot, specifically the arch. In 1934, Riley partnered with his leading salesman, Arthur Hall, who took Riley’s products to policemen, postal workers, and others who spent a majority of their working day on their feet.
Despite the success of the company, it took another four years until New Balance shoes entered into the sporting world. While the shoes were relatively low key in the sporting world, they did appear on many long distance runners feet, especially marathoners. In the 1950’s the company was passed down to Riley’s relatives and in 1961 the company focussed on the sports industry. The result of the new focus of the company was the Trackster. This shoe was unique with width fittings and a rippled sole.
The New Balance as we know it began in 1972 on the day of the Boston Marathon when Jim Davis purchased the company. When Davis took over the company, the company was making only 30 models of shoes and had only six full-time employees. Only three years later in 1975, Tom Fleming won the New York Marathon wearing the New Balance 320. Also in ‘75, the New Balance 320 was voted the best running shoe by Runner’s World magazine.
Though New Balance has never been a top selling company, its reputation of quality is unmatched. Many refer to its following as almost “cult status” by some runners who will not ever try running in anything but New Balance shoes. In addition to a quality fit, New Balance has earned the reputation of using the highest quality materials on their shoes.
While many multinational footwear companies constantly look for the cheapest labor source, New Balance has done just the opposite producing its top models in the USA and England. This move has been noticed and appreciated by sneaker fans looking for a comfortable and well built shoe.
Source Nicekicks.com
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. (NBAS) is a footwear manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company. Despite eschewing expensive advertising campaigns, it has grown to become the fourth-ranked maker of sports footwear in the world.[citation needed]
New Balance is notable in that it has continued to manufacture a portion of its footwear in the United States (as of 2007). This is unlike its competitors in the same market space, such as Nike, Adidas, and Reebok.
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In 1906, William J. Riley, a 33 year old English immigrant, founded the New Balance Arch Support Company, which manufactured arch supports and other accessories designed to improve shoe fit, in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1934, Riley took on as a partner his top salesman, Arthur Hall, who had found his niche by marketing his products to policemen and other people whose jobs required them to spend a lot of time standing. In 1956, Hall sold the business to his daughter Eleanor and her husband Paul Kidd.
Eleanor and Paul continued to sell mainly arch supports until 1961, when they designed and manufactured the “Trackster,” the world’s first running shoe made with a ripple sole. It was also the first running shoe to come in varying widths. The Trackster became the shoe of choice for running coaches and fitness directors, and led to New Balance’s growing reputation for manufacturing innovative and specialized footwear in multiple widths.
Marketing was mostly by word-of-mouth or local sports fairs, and sales languished, until 1972, when current Chairman Jim Davis bought the company on the day of the Boston Marathon. At the time, the company consisted of just six people making thirty pairs of shoes a day. Jim’s wife Anne joined the company in 1978, and the two pledged to uphold the company’s traditional commitment to individual preferences, customer service, and quality products. Their timing was perfect, as the Boston area soon became a hotbed of the running boom which struck the U.S. in the 1970s. Their product line expanded and sales skyrocketed. The homegrown company prospered, and the Davises looked to expand New Balance into a global company. The company is now run by California native Rob DeMartini. DeMartini’s background includes Procter and Gamble and Gillette Shave Company. Critics say DeMartini big business experience is exactly what New Balance needs to take a global stance. Today, thirty percent of the shoes sold in the European market are manufactured at the New Balance facility in England.
Shoes
New Balance is one of few shoe manufacturers to offer the majority of its shoes in a wide range of widths, typically from B or D to 4E.
New Balance does not give names to the shoes it sells, instead referring to them by a 3- or 4-digit model number. This is done to “place an emphasis on the New Balance philosophy, not any one particular shoe”.[1] When a shoe is redesigned, the model number is increased by one.
Made in USA stance
New Balance is one of several shoe companies that still makes their products in the United States, and is the only shoe company that makes athletic sneakers domestically, stating on their website that around one quarter of their shoes are American-made in their own five factories, two of which are in Massachusetts and three of which are in Maine, and in a supplier’s factory in California. While many of their products are manufactured in China, some of their higher-end running shoes are manufactured in the United States, such as the 992 models, which are easily recognizable by their typical gray and trademark ‘USA’ stitched on the back.
In accordance with federal trade law and their own policies, New Balance labels all shoes with a domestic material content of 70% “Made in the USA” and will differentiate for shoes that are made in the US of imported materials. From New Balance’s website: “We believe most consumers think “Made in USA” means that real manufacturing jobs were provided to U.S. workers in order to make that product. The shoes produced in our U.S. factories are made by U.S. workers using both U.S. and imported materials. Where the level of domestic value is at least 70%, we have labeled the shoe “Made in USA.” Where it falls below that level, we have qualified it as containing both domestic and imported materials. This determination is based in part on a survey of consumers conducted by the FTC.”
In 1994, New Balance manufactured 70% of its shoes in the United States.[2] It claims to have boosted its manufacturing capacity by 45% since 1995, suggesting that while the majority of its shoes are manufactured in China, it is maintaining a significant manufacturing presence domestically.
Source Wikipedia.org
