{"product_id":"9781471194047-shoemaker","title":"Shoemaker","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Untold Story of the British Family Firm that Became a Global Brand\u003cbr\u003eThe story of the founder of Reebok, Joe Foster, who grew the business from a small factory in Bolton to a major international brand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe remarkable story of how Joe Foster developed Reebok into one of the world's most famous sports brands, having started from a small factory in Bolton.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Since the late 19th century, the Foster family had been hand-making running shoes, supplying the likes of \u003cb\u003eEric Liddell and Harold Abrahams\u003c\/b\u003e - later immortalised in the film \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChariots of Fire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - as well as providing boots to most Football League clubs. But a family feud between Foster's father and uncle about the direction of their business led to Joe and his brother Jeff setting up a new company, inspired by the success of Adidas and Puma, and \u003cb\u003eso Reebok was born\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e At first, money was so short that Joe and his wife had to live in their rundown factory, while the machinery that made the shoes was placed around the edge of the floor, because it was so weak it could have collapsed if they'd been positioned in the middle. But, from this inauspicious start, a major new player in the sports equipment field began to emerge, inspired by Joe's marketing vision. By the 1980s, Reebok had become\u003cb\u003e a global phenomenon\u003c\/b\u003e, when they were the first to latch onto the potential of the aerobics craze inspired by \u003cb\u003eJane Fonda\u003c\/b\u003e. Soon, Reeboks were being seen on Hollywood red carpets and even in the film \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAliens\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, where \u003cb\u003eSigourney Weaver\u003c\/b\u003e wore a pair of Reebok Alien Stompers. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Like the \u003cb\u003einternational bestseller \u003ci\u003eShoe Dog\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, by Nike's Phil Knight, \u003ci\u003eShoemaker\u003c\/i\u003e is a\u003cb\u003e powerful tale of triumph against all the odds\u003c\/b\u003e, revealing the challenges and sacrifices that go into creating a world-beating brand; it is also \u003cb\u003ethe story of how a small local business can transform itself\u003c\/b\u003e, with the right products and the right vision, into something much, much bigger.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56449850868086,"sku":"9781471194047","price":8.03,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_31828186.jpg?v=1760446786","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781471194047-shoemaker","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}