World Balance

World Balance (WB or W) is a Filipino sports footwear and apparel brand that was established in 1980.[3] The brand was first established as a cheaper shoe brand alternative to well-known foreign footwear brands. Today the brand is associated with its parent company CHG Global, Inc. (formerly known as World Balance International Incorporated), that owns its main brand World Balance as well as other spin offs and local brands such as EasySoft, East Rock, FootShield, 7Soles, Sette, Shoe Hub, OneUp, and Weblife Direct Sales as well as international brands such as Base London and Popcorn General Store. All are based in the same headquarters located in Caloocan, Metro Manila.

World Balance
TypePrivate
IndustryFootwear
Founded1980 (1980)
FounderChong Family (Arsenio Chong, Armani Chong, and Sin Chong)
HeadquartersCaloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines
Key people
Barnaby Chong (President and CEO)[1]
ProductsAthletic shoes, apparel, sportswear, sports equipment
Number of employees
1000 worldwide (2019 est.)[2]
Websiteworldbalance.com.ph

World Balance is one of the Philippine's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers[4] and maintains a manufacturing presence in the Philippines, as well as in the Vietnam and China. As a result, World Balance shoes tend to be more expensive than those of other local manufacturers but are mostly cheaper than international ones.

History
(Clockwise from lower left) First logo used from 1980 to 2009, Second logo used from 2010 to 2011, Third and current logo flip side, Third and current logo.
Red box showing short-lived World Balance refresh logo from 2010 to 2011 together with shoes and boxes with current logo introduced in 2012.

In 1980, The Chong Brothers namely Arsenio Chong, Armani Chong, and Sin Chong, founded the World Balance International Incorporated in their current location in Caloocan City, manufacturing cheap but reliable knock-off shoes of well-known international brands. Due to this, the brand became a staple brand among families who do not wish to spend much of their hard earned cash for shoes.[5] Yet this same identity made the brand infamous among young people, particularly students, as being "baduy" or out of trend. In 2006, One of the brother's sons, Barnaby took over as the President and CEO while other family members took up other key positions within the company.[6]

In 2018, the business entity was renamed from World Balance International, Inc. to CHG Global, Inc. reflecting the diversification of the parent company to its other brands and services.[1]

In 2020, the company announced that it was converting some of its manufacturing facilities to produce face masks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8]

Products

World Balance's manufactures a range of shoes and apparel for runners, other athletes and non-athletes. The company also collaborates with celebrities and brands to launch branded product lines.

Performance and Athleisure shoes
World Balance Hyper Track running shoes

World Balances' performance and athlesiure shoes include its Bounce pad and Terrasoft lines, named for the type of foam in their soles.[9][10]

Basketball shoes

The company markets a line of basketball shoes. The basketball shoes are named the "Court Legend", "Levelplay", "Tomohawk", "Arsenal", "High Flyer", "Game Sensation", "Swift Core", "Shuffle", "Pantheon", "Boundless", "Sharpshooter", and "Ground Zone".

Outdoor shoes

World Balance manufactures a line of outdoor shoes that are described as shoes optimized for rugged terrain such as hiking and trails.

Lifestyle sneakers

The company manufactures lifestyle sneakers worn for fashion. Some of these sneakers are collaboration items such as those from ocal brands such as Secret Fresh and international ones such as Disney and Star Wars.[11]

Apparel

World Balance's athletic apparel includes running caps, athletic socks and water bottles. The company also manufactures a line of everyday apparel including snap button shirt-jackets, windbreakers, long-sleeved shirts and track pants, as well as hoodies, sweaters and sweatpants.[12]

Collaborations

The company has launched products in collaboration with Disney, Star Wars, Secret Fresh, and Smiley World.[13][14][15][16]

Sponsorships

World Balance sponsors a variety of sports teams, events, leagues and individuals. Sponsorships include most teams in the Philippine's major basketball league, the Philippine Basketball Association.[17]

Basketball

The company is the official partner of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), providing the official licensed merchandise of all teams with over a period of several years. They also sponsor some teams and they are as follows:

Sponsorship

Beauty Pageantry

World Balance entered sponsorship in the national beauty contest scene in 2019 particularly in the Binibining Pilipinas pageantry that determines future candidates for international pageants such as Miss Universe and Miss International. The brand sponsored some of the footwear used by the candidates during the activities of the candidates.[19]

See also

References
  1. "World Balance expands footprint in Visayas". speedmagazine.ph. 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  2. "World Balance (CHG Inc) Company Profile". Glassdoor. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  3. "LIST: 4 things you need to know about proudly Filipino company World Balance". Philstar. 2019-10-13. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  4. "List of Local Footwear Brands in the Philippines". Philippine Primer. 2016-10-02. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  5. "Shoe Review: World Balance Topnotcher". RunningPinoy. 2013-12-05. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  6. "Barnaby Chong President and CEO". LinkedIn. 2006-05-01. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  7. "World Balance enters face mask wars with P350 Nanosilver". Spin.ph. 2020-05-09. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  8. "World Balance Debuts NXT Gear Collection with Masks, Caps, and More". This is Hype. 2020-08-16. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  9. "Calling all Warsies! World Balance just dropped their limited edition Star Wars Collection". Alike. 2019-10-05. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  10. "World Balance Lacey Sneakers". Classy Sweets.com. 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  11. "World Balance launches newest collection with Disney". Footwear News. 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  12. "Philippine Footwer Brand, World Balance, Launches in Dubai Mall". Hypebeast. 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  13. "Disney and World Balance launch Mickey Mouse collection". Inquirer Lifestyle. 2018-12-05. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  14. "Local sneaker brand World Balance has an awesome Star Wars sneaker line". Ungeek. 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  15. "These World Balance x Secret Fresh Sneakers Are Perfect for Art Geeks". Spot.ph. 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  16. "World Balance launches its Smiley Collection". BusinessMirror. 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  17. "PBA partners with World Balance as the official licensed merchandise provider". BusinessMirror. 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  18. "World Balance is Ginebra's new outfitter". ABS-CBN News. 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
  19. "World Balance empowers Binibining Pilipinas candidates". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
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