Companies that manufacture shoes in the world (7) : REEBOK

History of Reebok in the shoe industry

Reebok brand got its beginnings back in 1958 when it branched as a sister company JW Foster and Sons. Beginning in 1895, JW Foster and Sons began manufacturing shoes and selling them all over the UK. Although they never garnered much attention, they were successful enough to be worn by the athletes in the 1924 Summer Olympics.

Then in 1958, the grandson of Foster decided to branch out to form a new company which they called Reebok. They chose the name Reebok, which means African Gazelle, because they want to portray speed, style, and grace. Although the company was selling shoes at a decent level in the UK, they still have trouble getting attention on a world wide scale.

However, in 1979 this will all change. On the occasion of International Trade sneaker Chicago, Paul Fireman noticed the Reebok brand saw great potential in the Reebok brand, as well as high quality. Fireman feels that quality alone will make this brand a hit with the North American population. Without wasting anytime, Fireman negotiated a deal to license and distribute the Reebok brand in the United States, but now that Reebok USA was born. In the same year, Fireman introduced three running shoes to the market. He had so much confidence that he is the product priced at $ 60 shoes, making the offer the highest prices in the market. In 1981, Reebok United States has exceeded $ 1.5 million in sales, and this is all done by simply selling shoes.

In 1982, the company took steps that took the sneaker industry. Reebok introduced the first athletic shoe for women. This step helps Reebok grab market share in most of the 1980's. Later in 1989, Reebok introduced the Pump to the basketball world. These shoes are specially designed with basketball in mind. used shoes air bladder that can be inflated by a small pump located in the tongue of the shoe. pump is in the form of basketball, and when it will expand push bladder so the shoes will adjust tightly at the ankle. This shoe is designed to take on the "Nike Air", and debuted with a sticker price of $ 170, almost double the price of other basketball shoes. But despite the huge price difference Reebok has hit. Over a period of four years they sold more than 20 million pairs worldwide.

These huge sales figures helped by Boston Celtic rookie Dee Brown in the 1991 All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest. Brown out for sports competition the black, white, and orange pumps. At the moment that will forever be remembered by basketball fans, before Brown took to his final dunk he bent over and pumped his Reeboks. After throwing clinching dunk contest (covering his eyes with his arm) he leaned forward and deflate pump nya.Reebok instant notoriety as children everywhere feel like these shoes can bring their game to the pro level.

But as soon as it took off, the pump began to fade from the public eye. This leaves the Reebok without a number one seller, and scrambling for a big break through. As sales continued to decline throughout the 90's, Reebok was looking for a way to regain market share is dominated by Nike. After numerous failed attempts to produce a result, Reebok decided to seek support as a way to increase brand awareness.

In 1996, they pegged newcomers NBA Allen Iverson as a target. From 1996 to 2000, and Reebok Iverson had a lot of success promoting the brand both on and off the field. With Iverson quickly becoming an NBA superstar, shoes, known as the "answer" is to sell quickly and helping to bring Reebok back to the forefront of the industry. In 2001, Reebok made a huge commitment to Iverson by signing him to a long life to ensure that he sports the brand until his days in the NBA is over.

Then in 2005, during the weekends NBA All-Star Reebok introduced the new ATR (Above the Rim) Pumps. This shoe is based off of the same technology as the original pump, but this time the pump is located on the outer ankle boots. Again allow for athletes to get a perfect fit. During the 2005 All-Star game, NBA superstar Allen Iverson and Yao Ming ATR Pump showcase to the world. This industry gave their first look at the new pump in action. Besides Iverson and Ming, superstar Steve Francis, Baron Davis, and Jerome Williams also wore a new pump.

Shortly after its debut the new ATR Pump, Reebok was shaken once again. They were bought by German Adidas-Salomon for $ 3.78 billion. The reason for the merger is quite obvious to everyone in the shoe industry. Reebok and Adidas duel constantly out for second place behind the shoe giant Nike. They feel that by joining forces, they may be able to topple Nike and became the number one manufacturer of shoes in the world. But they still have a long way to go before it comes to fruition. In 2004, Nike has approximately 36% market share in U.S. footwear industry, where as Adidas and Reebok combined for about 21%.

With Reebok joining hands with Adidas, they seek to regain the popularity they had experienced in the 90's. By continuing to develop and market products around superstar NBA, Reebok kicks will soon again become popular among ballers in the world.