Brands

1961 saw the birth of Trackster, the world’s first running shoe to be available in several widths.

In 1972, Jim Davis, the current owner and chairman, bought New Balance on the day of the Boston marathon. He undertook to maintain the brand’s values, such as performance and quality. At the time, the workshop was making 30 pairs a day. Four years later, the 320 was voted the best running shoe on the market and the brand was projected on to the world stage. The absolute priority was the product : manufactured in England and America as a guarantee of quality, offering several widths per size, massive investment in research and development... The marketing policy demonstrated these commitments by refusing to use the image of superstar athletes to communicate: the products make the brand, not the sports stars who represent it.

Since then, New Balance has diversified its production into a complete range of sports shoes and clothing, and this profitable strategy has taken the brand up to 4th place in the world, with sales of 1.8 billion dollars in 2010.