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Northampton Sneaker Company dark blue suede

Northampton Sneaker Company - display of sneakers

Northampton Sneaker Company – more sneakers

NPS brogue

NPS shoes

NPS shoe factory shop


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  • Back to factory shops listings page
  • My map of the 3 factory shops close together in Earls Barton and Woolaston.
  • This map shows the 3 factory shops plus Joseph Cheaney in Desborough to make 4 outlier factory shops in total.
  • Second on Tour 2.This is the second factory shop on my tour. It's 4 miles from Barkers. I arrived at 4.30 and they were already closed. But a kind lady in the factory office who already had her coat on fetched the marketing manageress and she kindly opened up the shop so that I could film. Make sure you park in the customer car park by the shop, NOT in the surrounding streets. Click here for my video showing where to park.
  • NPS and Doc Marten (in the same village) are the only Northampton shoe factory shops which open on a Sunday – from 11 am to 4pm. (Barkers are closed on Sunday). Like Cheaney's , NPS and the the Doc shop are also open all day till 4pm on Saturday. For some refreshment or something to eat after you have made your purchase/s, I recommend a visit to Awberry's tea rooms in a lovely setting click here in Woolaston high street, also open on Sunday to 3pm. Click here to see my video.
  • From 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm Sunday.
  • Opening times may vary from those given so phone first to check.
  • From North, go to junction 15 of M1If you are my customer/s following my tour religiously you may already have decided to visit Barkers first and directions for my customers are on that page. (Take MI to junction 15 NOT juntion 15A etc.) Those directions are also valid for NPS and the Doc Shop as well in case you skip Barkers (on Sundays for example). Dear people who live in the surrounding area: Bedford, Kettering, Milton Keynes, Cambridge etc., - if you don't already, you really should get 3 or 4 of your friends and family to pile into your car on a Saturday (or a Sunday in the case of NPS and the Doc shop) and visit these 3 factory shops and buy all your shoes there.

  • NPS Factory shop
  • Skip Barkers? You might watch my video on this page for NPS and decide that you will skip Barkers and make a beeline straight for NPS instead. As you will see if you watch my video there are very good reasons to go straight to NPS in spite of the fantastic range and terrific bargains at Barkers because NPS has some unique things to offer, not found in other factory shops. These are, in no particular order:
  • Seconds from £60 to £80. (Written in spring 2018). From beginning of my video to 3min 28, Good year welted shoes and boots with leather or Dainite rubber soles including some great ladies shoes. These are all seconds from £60 to £80. (You would pay from £120 to £180 for some of these in other factory shops). Check out the ladies silver, also pink, also white and also black suede brogues at 3.06.
  • Dessert boots. Good year welted, suede dessert boots – some in seconds at only £70
  • Sneakers At 3.28 Good year welted sneakers in leather or suede. Not seconds but a good reduction on the retail price. £172 instead of £250 online. You won't find these in other factory shops.
  • Heritage Docs. At 5.04 the original “Heritage” Doc Martens shoes and boots in all but name, now sold under the NPS Solovair brand, made at the NPS factory (not China!). NPS had the original contract to make them before the owners of the Doc Martens brand name moved production offshore. They are now made by NPS and called Solovair instead of Docs Martens.
  • Current range – including ladies shoes. Some really great ladies shoes in the current range, also with good reductions. Current range means you are not taking pot luck like you are with seconds. The shoes will be available in most sizes. I loved the silver brogues. Although I'm not sure if you can get silver shoe polish. Just kidding, use a neutral shoe cream to clean and condition the leather.
  • History of company. The company was founded by 5 local men as a cooperative in 1881. NPS had the contract to make Doc Martens boots starting in the 1960's. Read about it here on wikipedia In the 1990's they lost the contract as Doc Martens were produced more cheaply in China. NPS continued to make the same boot using the same lasts and machinery under the “Solovair” brand name. NPS's own website here tells their story By 2006 the cooperative was in financial trouble and Ivor Tilley, who lives in the same village as the factory offered to buy the company. His offer was accepted and the company has since gone from strength to strength. Check out the full story here on wikipedia
  • NPS shoes 17 South St, Wollaston, Wellingborough NN29 7RY
    Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm Saturday 10am to 4pm
  • Own website
  • Northampton Shoe page for NPS
  • google maps for NPS shoes 7 reviews, 3 photos

    • Solovair blue suede shoes

    Boot with steel toe caps

    Solovair Derby boot

    Solovair loafers

    Clarks dessert boots