History

Launched over 30 years ago, The Natural Shoe Store was the first footwear retailer to be located in Neal Street, Covent Garden, now one of London’s prime locations.

Founded by owner Robert Lusk, his vision today is truer to its roots than ever before. The concept and goal of recreating natural walking within the confines of a shoe continues to intrigue and drive us in a continual effort to provide customers with quality, stylish footwear which feel good to wear.

One’s experience of The Natural Shoe Store is flavoured by the collections of memorabilia added over the years by Lusk as a benefit of his wide and varied travels. With a background steeped in crafts making and leather working, and having arrived in London in the 60’s, Lusk launched The Natural Shoe Store with a range of the recessed heel Nature Shoes after contemplating the relationship between walking barefoot on a beach and walking confined within a shoe. He discovered it was a bit of a hard sell and had to work with customers to inform them about the biomechanical aspects of footwear alongside style considerations.

More than 30 years later this gamble has paid off. The success of the company is our continued interest in offering a portfolio of brands and styles that are consistent with the values of The Natural Shoe Store’s core customer base. Choosing to work with suppliers who respect the intrinsic integrity of design and material and do not over distribute their product means that the ranges available at The Natural Shoe Store are frequently unique and always varied.

One of the most significant brands to emerge out of this period is Birkenstock®. Originally launched in the UK by The Natural Shoe Store, Lusk so believed in the brand that he became the distributor. Again, another bold and successful strategy. Working closely with the press for maximum exposure, we have seen Birkenstock® move firmly into the mainstream. Such was the demand for this range that in 1994 we introduced the Birkenstock® Mailorder catalogue followed closely by the opening of the Birkenstock“ shop at 37 Neal Street in Covent Garden. This was the first dedicated Birkenstock® store to open worldwide. The shop has since moved to bigger premises at 70 Neal Street.

Along the way a wholesale arm, Central Trade Ltd. was added to the business, further allowing for the control of brand distribution and unique product offerings. Several brands sold in The Natural Shoe Store are distributed nationwide by Central Trade Ltd.

The challenge today is about juggling the desire to offer shoes with integrity of design and construction whilst paying heed to the commercial realities of staying in business. The Natural Shoe Store has managed to sustain its leading reputation in the marketplace and now has 6 branches under its umbrella as well as the mailorder business.