Reebok

Reebok started in 1958 when Jeff and Joe Foster, grandsons of Joseph William Foster, launched a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons in Bolton, England. J.W. Foster had been making spiked running shoes since 1895, and his shoes were worn by Harold Abrahams when he won the 100m at the 1924 Paris Olympics. The name Reebok comes from an African gazelle, chosen for its speed. The brand's early logo featured the Union Jack, a clear nod to its British heritage.

In 1979, American Paul B. Fireman spotted the shoes at a trade show and secured the North American license. He introduced three running shoe styles at $60 each, then the most expensive athletic shoes on the market. Fireman's company later acquired the global rights, and Reebok took off in the US during the aerobics boom of the 1980s with the Freestyle, the first athletic shoe designed specifically for women. The brand went public in 1985 and stayed independent until 2005, when Adidas bought it for $3.8 billion.

After 16 years under Adidas, Reebok was sold to Authentic Brands Group in a deal that closed in 2022. ABG, which also owns Forever 21 and Brooks Brothers, made Reebok its biggest acquisition. Today the brand generates about $5 billion in annual retail sales. Its global headquarters are in Boston's Seaport District, with European operations in London. Under ABG, the strategy has been to let Reebok be Reebok, focusing on its heritage of creativity and performance, while expanding the Classics line and launching new training shoes like the Nano Gym 2.0. [edit]