New Balance - Fashion Company Profile
New Balance is the Boston athletic footwear and apparel company founded by William J. Riley in 1906 - a private maker that built its name on arch supports, width sizing and New England manufacturing, and never went public.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Operating - a privately held global athletic footwear and apparel maker, still known for width sizing and its New England factories
- Type
- Private - New Balance Athletics, Inc.; Jim Davis, who bought the company in 1972, remains its chairman
- Headquarters
- Boston (Brighton), Massachusetts, United States
- Founded
- 1906, in Boston, Massachusetts, by William J. Riley, as the New Balance Arch Support Company
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Company Profile
Current products and sizing tools are on the New Balance website, linked above; the shop box covers New Balance products sold through Amazon and eBay. In a letter of companies repeatedly bought and sold, New Balance is the continuity case: founded in 1906, bought by Jim Davis in 1972 for $100,000 on the day of the Boston Marathon, and still privately held under Davis as chairman more than fifty years later, with its headquarters in Boston's Brighton neighbourhood. The fuller record - the Trackster and the 320, the six widths and 18 lasts of the 360 Fit idea, the five New England factories and the acquisition ledger from Dunham to Brine - is kept in full on the history page.
The New Balance Trackster, one of the first running shoes made, grew very popular not only for its technical innovation but because it was available in a wide range of widths, the founding idea already visible in product form. In 1972 New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. was purchased by James (Jim) S. Davis, and four years later the New Balance 320 running shoe was rated number one on the market, launching the company into worldwide prominence. From there the filing describes diversification into a complete range of athletic shoes, plus apparel and accessories, for a variety of athletic activities, headquartered in Boston.
New Balance History
The earlier record for this company - its history, past brand line-ups, figures and photographs from the periods described - is kept on a separate page for historical reference.
New Balance History & Historical Profile →Common Questions
Is New Balance a public company?
No. New Balance is privately held. Jim Davis bought the company in 1972 and remains its chairman; it is one of the few global athletic brands that has never been publicly traded.
When was New Balance founded?
In 1906, in Boston, Massachusetts, by William J. Riley, as the New Balance Arch Support Company, making arch supports and orthopedic shoes before it made running shoes.
Why is New Balance known for widths?
Because fit was its founding idea: its shoes have long been offered in up to six widths, from a narrow 2A to an expansive 6E, designed around multiple foot models, or lasts, for different users and uses.
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