The founder and managing director of Love Those Shoes has opened up a whole new healthy shoe market in the UK and now plans to expand in Europe and the US

Reading a magazine in a doctor’s waiting room, Glenys Berd came across an article about a Swiss footballer who had developed a shoe that was good for the back. They were called MBTs—Masai barefoot technology—and were the first to have built-in technology designed to deliver health benefits—in this case relief from back pain. “I looked everywhere but couldn’t get hold of any, so I thought it would be a good thing to sell,” says Berd. She called the Swiss shoe company and asked if she could sell them online. In 2003 she set up a website, got a good piece of PR and “it all went mad.”

The online healthy footwear business now sells 12 different brands of shoe—all of which have a health or beauty benefit. The popular Earth brand shoes which feature negative heel technology to re-align the body and alleviate aches and pains caused by standing incorrectly grace the feet of many a celebrity including Gwyneth Paltrow and David Beckham.

Wasn’t she worried about entering a market she knew nothing about? “I just found out about it,” says Berd. No one else knew much about it either—the market [for shoes with health technology] didn’t exist before—we helped create it.” But Berd admits there was a steep learning curve—because nothing existed. “We had to develop everything—we have learned as we’ve gone along from what our customers have needed,” she says.

Initially funded with £10,000 by Berd and her business partner who put in half each, turnover today is approaching £2.5m and there are 12 employees. “We run lean because everyone multi-tasks,” explains Berd whose biggest single problem has been recruiting good staff. Luckily, with such a successful product, much of the marketing is done by satisfied customers. “Once someone finds something that does them good they tell their friends,” says Berd.

Contrary to traditional business practice, the business is opening its first shop in Alderley Edge—home to the WAGs—hopefully by the end of this year. “This is driven by customer demand,” says Berd. “Although we have a free return and exchange policy, people like to see what they’re buying.”

But Berd believes the internet is the way to reach the mass market. “We want to expand into Europe and we are going multi-lingual on the website. We want to use the internet to get to far-flung places and give everyone the opportunity to have this product.”