La New

La New is a Taiwan-based footwear company operated by La New International Corporation, whose Chinese corporate name is commonly rendered as Lao Niu Pi International. The company was founded by Liu Bao-You on 29 April 1996 and is headquartered in Xizhi District, New Taipei City. Its core business is the design, production, marketing, and retailing of shoes, with a particular emphasis on comfort and designs intended for customers with special or difficult-to-fit foot shapes. In its early years, La New relied substantially on consignment sales through outside retailers. That model exposed the company to payment and receivables problems when retailers failed to settle invoices. La New subsequently reduced its dependence on third-party stores and adopted a more controlled retail strategy, opening its first standalone outlet on Taipei's Minsheng East Road. The move gave the company greater control over presentation, customer service, inventory, and the relationship between product development and retail distribution. Product research became a central part of the brand's identity. In 2001, La New established the La New Foot Research Institute and reportedly committed NT$10 million each year to the development of footwear for special foot shapes. This investment supported a positioning based less on fashion alone and more on fit, foot comfort, and practical use. The brand's retail expansion eventually produced a network of more than 100 stores in Taiwan by 2024. La New also pursued activities beyond footwear. In 2006, the company benefited from publicity connected with the La New Bears baseball team, later renamed the Lamigo Monkeys, after the team performed successfully in the Asia Baseball Championship. The baseball association helped raise the brand's visibility in Japan and contributed to the opening of several La New stores there. In 2009, La New established the LamiGo Group, extending its business interests into areas including travel agencies, leisure clubs, and banquet halls. The company's sports involvement became especially prominent through its operation of the Lamigo Monkeys in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League. La New sold the club to Rakuten in 2019, after which it became the Rakuten Monkeys. The sale marked a retreat from professional sports investment and a refocusing of the company's identity on its footwear and retail activities. Based on the available reference material, La New remains an active Taiwan-centered footwear business, with its principal presence in Taiwan and a documented history of limited international expansion into Japan.

La New International Corporation was founded by Liu Bao-You on 29 April 1996 in Taiwan. The company entered the footwear market using a consignment-based distribution model, placing products with outside retailers rather than relying primarily on stores controlled by the company. This approach created exposure to unpaid invoices and retailer receivables problems. In response, La New moved away from broad dependence on third-party stores and opened its first standalone location on Minsheng East Road in Taipei. Direct retail gave the company greater control over merchandising, sales operations, and the customer experience. La New then invested in product research as a way to distinguish itself in a competitive footwear market. In 2001, it created the La New Foot Research Institute and allocated approximately NT$10 million per year to developing shoes for special foot shapes. The institute-centered approach supported a brand proposition focused on fit and comfort rather than solely on appearance or seasonal fashion. It also connected product development more closely with the practical needs observed in stores and among customers. The company experienced economic pressure, including poor performance from some external investments, but strengthened its public profile through strategic diversification and sports-related activity. In 2006, the success of the La New Bears in the Asia Baseball Championship gave the company additional recognition in Japan. The increased visibility was associated with the opening of several La New stores in the Japanese market, although Taiwan remained the company's principal base and market. In 2009, La New founded the LamiGo Group and expanded beyond footwear into businesses such as travel agencies, leisure clubs, and banquet halls. Its most visible non-footwear activity was professional baseball. The company operated the La New Bears in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League; the club was later renamed the Lamigo Monkeys. The team became an important public-facing extension of the La New and LamiGo identity, linking the footwear company with professional sport and regional entertainment. In 2019, La New sold the Lamigo Monkeys to Rakuten. The club became the Rakuten Monkeys, and La New's exit from professional baseball signaled a change in strategic emphasis. Rather than continuing as a sports owner, the company increasingly centered its public identity on footwear, research-driven comfort, and its controlled retail network. By 2024, La New was reported to have more than 100 stores nationwide in Taiwan. Its headquarters are in Xizhi District, New Taipei City, and the available reference material describes the company as an active Taiwan-based footwear business with a documented but comparatively limited presence in Japan.

1. 2024Taiwan retail network exceeded 100 stores

   La New was reported to operate more than 100 retail stores nationwide in Taiwan.

   Source
2. 2019Lamigo Monkeys sold to Rakuten

   La New sold its professional baseball club to Rakuten. The team was subsequently renamed the Rakuten Monkeys.

   Source
3. 2009LamiGo Group founded

   La New created the LamiGo Group, diversifying into travel, leisure, and banquet-related businesses.

   Source
4. 2006Japan visibility and retail expansion

   The La New Bears' success in the Asia Baseball Championship increased brand visibility in Japan and was followed by the opening of several La New stores there.

   Source
5. 2001La New Foot Research Institute established

   La New established a dedicated foot research institute and committed approximately NT$10 million annually to shoe designs for special foot shapes.

   Source
6. 1996La New International Corporation was founded

   Liu Bao-You founded La New International Corporation in Taiwan on 29 April 1996.

   Source
7. The company shifted from consignment distribution to controlled retail

   After unpaid invoices and other receivables problems affected its consignment model, La New reduced its reliance on external retailers and opened its first standalone shop on Minsheng East Road in Taipei.

   Source

A comfort- and fit-focused footwear brand emphasizing research, practical design, and direct retail distribution, particularly for customers whose foot shapes are not well served by standard shoe construction.

• La New comfort footwearFootwear

  La New's core offering consists of everyday footwear developed around comfort, fit, and practical wear. The company's product identity is associated with research into foot shape and with designs intended to accommodate customers who may not fit conventional shoe forms.

• Special-foot-shape footwearSpecialized footwear2001

  These products reflect the work of the La New Foot Research Institute, established in 2001 to develop shoes for special foot shapes. The line represents the brand's research-led approach to fit and its attempt to address functional needs that standard footwear may overlook.

• 2006La New Bears Asia Baseball Championship visibility program

  Taiwan · Japan

  La New used the public visibility generated by the La New Bears' performance in the Asia Baseball Championship to strengthen awareness of the brand in Japan. The sports connection supported subsequent store openings in Japan.

  Outcome. Several La New stores opened in Japan after the increase in visibility.

  Source

• 2019Sell the Lamigo Monkeys to RakutenM&A

  La New had operated the Lamigo Monkeys in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League as part of its broader sports and entertainment involvement.

  What changed. La New sold the club to Rakuten.

  Aftermath. The team became the Rakuten Monkeys, and La New shifted away from professional sports investment toward its core footwear and retail activities.

  Source
• 2009Diversify through the LamiGo GroupStrategy

  La New pursued business activities beyond footwear while developing a broader corporate and entertainment presence.

  What changed. It founded the LamiGo Group, with interests including travel agencies, leisure clubs, and banquet halls.

  Aftermath. The group broadened La New's business scope beyond footwear, although the company later moved away from professional sports investment.

  Source
• 2001Invest in dedicated footwear researchStrategy

  La New sought to differentiate its footwear through fit and comfort, especially for customers with special foot shapes.

  What changed. The company established the La New Foot Research Institute and allocated approximately NT$10 million annually to related design and development.

  Aftermath. Research-oriented product development became a central element of La New's market positioning.

  Annual research and development allocation. NT$10 million annually (From 2001)

  Source
• Move from consignment sales to standalone retailStrategy

  The early consignment model exposed La New to widespread problems involving unpaid retailer invoices.

  What changed. The company withdrew from some third-party retail relationships and opened its first standalone store on Minsheng East Road in Taipei.

  Aftermath. The change increased La New's control over distribution and helped establish a company-operated retail model.

  Source

• 2024La New had more than 100 retail stores in Taiwan

  The company was reported to have more than 100 retail stores nationwide in Taiwan, underscoring the continuing importance of its domestic retail network.

  Other
  Source
• 2024La New opens more than 100 retail stores in Taiwan

  The company had expanded its Taiwanese retail network to more than 100 stores, reflecting its long-term shift toward branded, company-controlled retail.

  Other
  Source
• 2019Rakuten acquired the Lamigo Monkeys from La New

  La New sold its Chinese Professional Baseball League club, the Lamigo Monkeys, to Rakuten. The team subsequently became known as the Rakuten Monkeys, and the transaction represented La New's withdrawal from professional baseball ownership.

  M&A
  Source
• 2019Rakuten acquires the Lamigo Monkeys

  The Lamigo Monkeys, the professional baseball team operated by La New, were sold to Rakuten and subsequently renamed the Rakuten Monkeys.

  M&A
  Source
• 2009La New establishes the LamiGo Group

  La New broadened its business interests through the creation of the LamiGo Group, which included travel, leisure, and banquet-related operations.

  M&A
  Source
• 2006La New expanded into Japan after baseball-related visibility

  The performance of the La New Bears in the Asia Baseball Championship helped increase the brand's visibility in Japan and was followed by the opening of several La New stores there.

  CampaignOther
  Source
• 2006La New gains visibility in Japan through baseball activities

  The success of the La New Bears at the Asia Baseball Championship increased the company's visibility in Japan and was followed by the opening of several La New stores there.

  CampaignOther
  Source
• 2001La New establishes a foot research institute

  La New created the La New Foot Research Institute to support the design of footwear for people with distinctive foot shapes and comfort needs.

  Product launch
  Source

1. La New