J W Foster & Sons (Athletic Shoes) Limited was an

athletic shoe Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...

manufacturing company located in Bolton, England. Established by Joseph W. Foster in 1895, the company was a pioneer in the use of

track spikes Track spikes, or just spikes, are a type of footwear featuring protruding spikes on the soles used by athletes when racing on the track. Some spikes are designed for longer-term training on tracks, but generally the shoes are used for racing. Th ...

for runners and athletes, producing most of the highly-regarded running shoes in the 1920s. J.W. Foster & Sons was absorbed by

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

(a company established by Foster's sons) in 1976.

History

The company founder, Joseph William Foster, was born in 1881 and trained as a cobbler. At the age of 14 in 1895, as a member of the local harriers, he started work in his bedroom above his father's sweet shop in Bolton, and designed some of the earliest spiked running shoes. After his ideas progressed, he founded his business 'J.W. Foster' in 1900. Later he joined with his sons and changed the company name to "J.W. Foster and Sons" in 1910."Brand History" at ShoeBacca.com
Archive)at reebokthefounder.com
Brand History) Foster opened a small factory called Olympic Works, and gradually became famous among athletes for his "running pumps". During the World War I, the company produced

army boots Combat boots are military boots designed to be worn by soldiers during combat or combat training, as opposed to during parades and other ceremonial duties. Modern combat boots are designed to provide a combination of grip, ankle stability, an ...

(which production would be resumed by the company in the Second War). Harold Abrahams 1921

For pioneering the use of

spikes The SPIKES protocol is a method used in clinical medicine to break bad news to patients and families. As receiving bad news can cause distress and anxiety, clinicians need to deliver the news carefully. By using the SPIKES method for introducing ...

, the company's revolutionary running pumps appear in the book, ''Golden Kicks: The Shoes that changed Sport''. The company began distributing shoes across the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

which were worn by British athletes, and were made famous by 100m Olympic champion

Harold Abrahams Harold Maurice Abrahams (15 December 1899 – 14 January 1978) was an English track and field athlete. He was Olympic champion in 1924 in the 100 metres sprint, a feat depicted in the 1981 film ''Chariots of Fire''. Biography Early life A ...

(who would be immortalized in the Oscar winning film '' Chariots of Fire'') in the 1924 Summer Olympics held in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. In 1933, Joseph William Foster died, and "J. W. Foster & Sons" was continued by sons Billy and Jim, headed at first by Joe's widow Maria. Eventually, Maria transferred the leadership of the family business over to Billy and Jim in 1939. Again war interrupted the business, but J W Foster & Sons picked up their business, with Derek Ibbotson breaking the Mile world record. Foster was also supplying most First Division (now English Premier League) Football teams with trainers and signed a contract for distribution in the United States by Frank Ryan and Bob Geinjack, coaches at Yale University. Jeffrey William Foster (Jeff), Jim's eldest son, joined J. W. Foster in 1948 and his younger brother Joseph William (Joe). later joined in 1952. In 1953 National Service took Jeff and Joe away for 2 years. Upon their return to J. W. Foster & Sons, they saw a business failing to react to the growth of rival manufacturers such as

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

and Puma, which had successfully entered the market after World War II. Their requests to improve the family business went unheeded, so the two brothers established their own company,

in Bury in November 1958. Eighteen months after Joe and Jeff left J W Foster to set up their own company, Billy died at the age of 58. Jim carried on the business at Deane Road, until the ‘Olympic Works’ made way for the new Bolton Technical College, which was later to become Bolton University. Jim moved J. W. Foster & Sons (Athletic Shoe) Ltd to the North of Bolton, opening as a sports shop. J. W. Foster & Sons continued until his death in 1976, at which time the company was absorbed by Reebok. The J.W. Foster Tradition continues today as J W. Foster (Heritage) Ltd, with many items held on loan in the Reebok archive at the company's worldwide headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts.

References

External links

Replica Sneakers Site
{{Reebok Athletic shoe brands Companies based in Bolton Shoe companies of the United Kingdom Sportswear brands