Dear customers,
when I think back to 1982, when my wife Hilke and I began when the company was founded with my co-founder and first employee, it was associated with the wish the desire to become independent and realize my own ideas. The spontaneous occasion was then, for my sensitive and often painful feet, to find a shoe that also that did not constrict the toes after long working days and made pain-free walking possible. But it could not be found. So I decided, “I’ll make my own shoes now.” shoe experts told me at the time, as a career changer, that my prospects of success were rather bleak for this wide “duck shoes.” Convinced that the best thing for my feet to develop for my fellow human beings, I continued on my path undeterred. The path led through included many stages and was never easy, but more than rocky at the beginning. Derived from based on the anatomical shape of the foot, a shoe was created that differed from the shoe design of the time did not correspond at all. But these shoes were comfortable and offered generous “Toe freedom”! An exciting journey began in what we would now call a “home office,” and was initially often marked by doubt. To ensure that our shoes matched the natural shape of the foot the corresponding shoes, which therefore looked different (they were expensive too), from customers’ feet and establish themselves in the market, my wife Hilke and I we began selling through consumer trade fairs. At up to 60 trade fairs a year, the On weekends, it wasn’t just my wife and me, but occasionally—when no grandmother was available—our children Christof and Sebastian also took part. Our recipe for success was that customers across Germany could try on our shoes locally and we convinced customers with them. We also received a great deal of feedback in customer conversations feedback on our shoes, and we were able to implement this information immediately. In the meantime, Bär GmbH invested in production lasts, cutting tools, and raw materials. The traditional family business Ansbert Schätzle from the Swabian Jura provided the machinery required for production and the craftsmanship for a joint shoe production. This cooperation lasted for nearly 25 years. .
“You need your feet for your entire life, and you shouldn’t skimp on your feet.” was Christian Bär’s standard statement in conversations with customers. To ensure this applied in all lifestyles; more than 100 different models have been and are still being made in-house. models ranging from slippers to trekking boots can be produced at the BÄR Manufaktur for comfortable shoes manufactured.
After 10 years of continuous growth, we moved in 1992 with 30 employees moved into the company’s own building on Pleidelsheimerstrasse in Bietigheim- Bissingen, and in the same year we opened the first BÄR store in Lüneburg and then the Berlin store on Kurfürstendamm. In Lüneburg, the princess received from Saxony a BÄR shoe made for her in gold and silver. She put on the shoes and was so delighted that from then on she no longer needed a walking stick and wore only BÄR shoes wore. Our then Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl entered the Berlin store while on German Reunification Day with the words: “I need a few comfortable shoes like that as it says on the company sign.” For ultramarathon runner, in 2007 we developed with the the BÄR Toe-free concept provided demanding footwear for the toughest of the extreme ultra-distance running events in the world, Badwater in Death Valley, California, covering more than 217 km and lasting longer than for 30 hours in 50°C heat, protecting the feet of our participant Achim Heukemes getting him to his destination free from injury and pain. Winfried Kretschmann has also The Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg has been part of the circle of BÄR shoe wearers who appreciate their “staying power” What began 40 years ago in a “home office” has continued to develop through the anniversary year developed into a successful second-generation family business by 2022, with 23 stores in Germany, 120 employees at our headquarters in Bietigheim-Bissingen, and 400 skilled craftsmen at our own production facility in southern India. Development, design, and sample production still take place at The headquarters in Bietigheim-Bissingen sends out more than 150,000 catalogs every quarter to customers and prospective customers, and has been represented nationally and internationally online for 10 years. represented on the internet with its own online shops and has successfully exported to many European countries, Japan, the USA, and Kuwait.
Our vision of running with “Toe freedom” has shaped the company from the very beginning. Today, Christof Bär and Sebastian Bär are the managing partners responsible for responsibility to develop the company for the long term. Christof Bär heads the BÄR Shoes division, including production, and Sebastian Bär the the Joe Nimble Functional Footwear division. Werner Ruf, who has been with the company for nearly 30 years, company, manages administration, IT, and human resources. We thank our employees for their commitment and support. We are very grateful to our customers for always remaining loyal to us and never who doubted this and still agree with us today that foot-shaped BÄR shoes with that Toe freedom is the best solution after all.
Yours, Christian and Hilke Bär
