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First New Balance Concept Store Opens In Hawaii

HONOLULU, September 24, 2006 – New Balance Athletic Shoe is pleased to announce the opening of its first concept store in Hawaii at Ward Centers –Ward Centre in Honolulu.  The new location will serve as the flagship store and is the first of its kind to exclusively feature New Balance products and services for all of the Hawaiian Islands.

Known for its performance footwear offered in multiple widths as well as its athletic inspired apparel, New Balance is one of the leading active lifestyle brands in the world.  “We’re very excited to provide an opportunity for the people of Hawaii to experience the New Balance brand firsthand in one of our stores”, says Stephanie Smith, Vice President of Retail.

The Ward Centre location will feature footwear with a range of widths from 2A to 6E and a “fit for you” theme that embodies the essence of the New Balance brand: comfort, fit and performance.  With a total of 2,400 square feet of retail space, the store will address the needs of men, women, and children in multiple categories including; running, walking, tennis, training and basketball.  The store will also feature a full line of New Balance high-performance apparel and athletic accessories along with products from two additional brands owned by New Balance: Dunham Bootmakers and Aravon® casual shoes.

New Balance Hawaii plans to reach out to the local community and invite doctors and podiatrists to the store to hold regular clinics for running groups, sports teams and leagues, as well as local fitness professionals. “We are thrilled to be opening our first New Balance Store,” say store owner Joe Rossi, “and we are especially excited to get involved in the Honolulu community.”

The New Balance Hawaii store will celebrate its grand opening September 28th through October 1st with a traditional Hawaiian blessing and weekend-long raffles with a grand prize shopping spree giveaway.

New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA, is a leading manufacturer of technologically innovative width-sized performance footwear and athletic apparel for women, men, and children.  The range of product categories includes running, walking, cross training, basketball, tennis, adventure, and kids.  New Balance employs more than 2,600 people around the globe, and in 2004 reported worldwide sales of $1.46 billion.  For more information please visit http://www.newbalance.com

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