Comic world: Bally Footwear

Thursday 12 July 2012

Bally Footwear

In 1854, a shoe factory was set up in the village but Fritz Bally left the fledgling business soon after start-up. Carl Franz Bally carried on under the corporate name "C.F. Bally". By the 1860s Bally employed more than 500 people. Within another decade it had built an international reputation for quality and design in both men's and women's shoes and expanded operations outside of SwitzerlandCarl Franz Bally died in 1899 and his sons carried on with the business. Although the Bally family maintained voting control, in 1907 "C.F. Bally & Co. Ltd." went public, their shares listedThe added capital allowed massive expansion for their much-in-demand shoes and by 1916 they employed more than 7,000 people The company survived the Great Depression of the 1930s and the difficulties of World War II to expand globally with great success in the post-War era including a successful entry into the North American market. In 1976 they added clothing, handbags and other leather accessories.