How New Balance Is Racing Toward $10B Without Losing Its Soul

When a brand passes the century mark, the common playbook is preservation: protect the legacy, avoid risk, and keep doing what’s worked before. But New Balance’s current trajectory underlines a different truth, heritage is only an advantage if you know how to evolve it.

Speaking at eTail Boston, Melissa Worth, SVP Americas at New Balance, unpacked the strategies powering the brand’s sprint toward a $10 billion global goal. It’s a story of a premium athletic label that’s not just staying relevant, it’s getting younger, sharper, and more omnichannel than ever.

This is the growth playbook she outlined for heritage brands aiming to resonate across generations without diluting what made them iconic.

For Melissa, the starting point is non-negotiable: New Balance’s growth hinges on its DNA of craftsmanship, performance, and authenticity.

This purpose-led stance shapes everything from product launches to retail expansion. Even as trends shift, the North Star is the same: making performance footwear and apparel that blends style with substance.

But New Balance isn’t standing still. Melissa stressed that heritage is the foundation, not the ceiling. Innovation, in materials, design, and distribution, ensures the brand isn’t simply repeating the past but redefining its relevance for each new generation.

The question every heritage brand faces: how do you appeal to Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and Millennials without alienating your existing base?

Melissa’s answer: meet each audience where they are - culturally, not just demographically.

This means partnering with creators, athletes, and collaborators who bring authenticity, not just reach. From on-court legends to fashion-forward influencers, the goal is to create moments that feel organic to each community.

New Balance’s partnerships aren’t one-off stunts; they’re part of a deliberate ecosystem. Collaborations with global icons like Kawhi Leonard and Coco Gauff sit alongside limited drops with design houses and streetwear labels, building credibility in multiple worlds.

The result: New Balance has become as likely to be seen courtside at the US Open as it is on TikTok street-style reels.

While many brands have gone all-in on DTC, Melissa argued that wholesale remains a strategic growth engine.

From premium department stores to specialist retailers, New Balance uses wholesale to expand footprint while keeping a tight grip on brand presentation. Co-created marketing, exclusive product allocations, and staff training ensure these partners deliver a brand experience on par with owned channels.

This multi-pronged approach keeps the brand front-of-mind for consumers who shop in different ways, a hedge against over-reliance on any single channel.

New Balance’s retail strategy is shifting from transactional spaces to immersive brand environments.

In key global cities, the brand is rolling out elevated store formats designed to bring the brand’s blend of heritage and innovation to life. Think premium material finishes, localized merchandising, and spaces designed for community events.

These flagship and concept stores act as both marketing touchpoints and data hubs, giving New Balance richer insight into how consumers discover, try, and purchase across the journey.

One of Melissa’s most emphatic points: New Balance’s future is bigger than shoes.

The brand’s apparel business is seeing double-digit growth, driven by premium sportswear and athleisure that matches the performance and style of its footwear.

Melissa sees enormous runway here, especially with younger consumers who view apparel as an entry point into the brand. Category expansion isn’t about chasing volume, it’s about building a head-to-toe lifestyle proposition that deepens loyalty.

Melissa acknowledged that retail is facing macro headwinds, inflationary pressures, shifting consumer habits, and global supply challenges.

The answer, she said, lies in flexibility without losing focus. New Balance’s private ownership allows it to invest through cycles, experiment with new formats, and sustain partnerships even in uncertain periods.

Data plays a central role. From sell-through analytics to social listening, the brand uses insight to make smarter assortment, marketing, and channel decisions in real time.

Melissa’s fireside chat wasn’t just about New Balance; it was a blueprint for any heritage brand aiming to grow without losing its core.

Key principles emerged:

Independently Created. Not affiliated with eTail Boston.

Unofficially eTail is a ClickZ Media publication in the Events division