New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. (NBAS) is a footwear manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company. Eschewing expensive advertising campaigns, it has nevertheless grown to be one of the largest makers of sports footwear in the world. New Balance is notable in that it has continued to maintain a manufacturing presence in the United States (as of 2007) as well as in the United Kingdom for the European market--in contrast to its competitors in the same market space, such as Nike, Adidas, and Reebok. New Balance is one of few shoe manufacturers to offer the majority of its shoes in a wide range of widths, typically from B or D to 4E, but also offering up to 6E. New Balance does not give names to the shoes it sells, instead referring to them by a 2, 3, or 4 digit model number. This is done to "place an emphasis on the New Balance philosophy, not any one particular shoe". When a shoe is redesigned, the model number is increased by one. So far, no one seems to know what the number scheme actually stands for besides changing frequently due to redesigns.