New Balance began life as a Boston-based arch support company in the early 1900's when William J. Riley began manufacturing arch supports to correct orthopaedic foot problems and relieve pain. His first product, a flexible arch support, was designed with three points of support in the shape of a triangle to improve comfort and fit.

In 1934, William Riley took partnership with his most skilful salesman, Arthur Hall. Mr. Hall found a place in the shoe market where Riley's products could be sold fruitfully. He was highly successful selling arch supports to policemen and other people whose jobs demanded they spend large amounts of time on their feet.

In 1954 Arthur Hall sold his business to his daughter and son-in-law, Eleanor and Paul Kidd. They continued selling arch supports and prescription footwear but also made significant progress when they manufactured the first performance running shoe made with a ripple sole, "The Trackster". The Trackster was available in various foot widths and soon became the shoe of choice of running coaches and other people in sports, however the majority of the sales were made through mail order purchases from local high schools and colleges because no other attempt was made to market the shoe.

In 1972, the Kidd’s decided to retire and sold the company to a sales representative called Jim Davis for $100,000. A company consisting of six people, making 30 pairs of running shoes a day would soon find itself at the centre of Boston’s 70’s running boom and by the end of the decade the company’s sales were in excess of $4 million.

By 1989, Davis was advised by company executives to move production from the US to various overseas countries. Many of New Balance’s rivals had done the same in order to cut back on manufacturing expenses. Despite this, Davis refused to comply, preferring to keep production close to the headquarters. However, by the late 90’s demand for New Balance running shoes had become so large that the company was obliged to subcontract a portion of its manufacturing process overseas. New Balance had now become one of the top five leading athletic footwear brands.

Since the days of selling arch supports to police officers and waiters, New Balance has been a brand concerned with meeting the needs of the everyday athlete. Part of producing superior footwear and athletic apparel is manufacturing it to fit all widths and sizes, because a better fit produces better performance.

To ensure the best fitting and best performing running shoes and apparel, New Balance focus on improving technology and production methods. A big part of that is maintaining five manufacturing facilities in the United States where the company continues to produce shoes and apparel that meet the standards employed for 100 years. New Balance have also remained committed to a core set of values that include integrity, teamwork and total customer satisfaction.

Our full range of running shoes can also be found at our sister site, Return2Fitness > > > http://www.return2fitness.co.uk/Running/Running_Shoes