A NEW shop in Mill Street is offering islanders some of the healthiest available options in shoes.

Fit Footwear opened earlier this month and specialises in shoes that improve posture and relieve back and knee pain.

Owner Audrey Laurens-Chalmers, a Pilates teacher, said it was a shop that Guernsey had been crying out for. She opened her first store selling the specialised products in Jersey five years ago and in November expanded into a new 1,000sq. ft store in the other Channel Island.

Fit Footwear will sell a variety of MBT shoes and sandals, Earth footwear and Crocs, but it is the MBT and Earth brands which offer the greatest health benefits.

‘Whenever something new like these shoes come out people think it’s a gimmick, but MBT have been around for 10 years and their shoes have been certified by the medical authorities.

‘If you lived in Switzerland you could get them on your medical insurance.

‘My sister has lived in Guernsey for 25 years and she said they needed a store like this to come here.’

While the MBTs are distinguishable by their rolling soles, which activate the muscles in the foot, the Earth shoes position the heel below the toes and have ridges built into the sole to support the foot.

Both designs aim to improve posture and relieve pain.

Former Oil & Vinegar manager Cara Harris will manage the Guernsey store, with Mrs Laurens-Chalmers making regular trips from Jersey.

Mrs Laurens-Chalmers said business had started off very well and she was delighted to be in the Old Quarter of Town.

‘It’s been fantastic so far and we were busy straight away. We sold eight pairs of MBTs on the first day.

‘I think this is a really good place for us, because as a new business we couldn’t afford the rents they were asking for on the High Street, or even in the Commercial Arcade.

‘There’s a lot of new stores and coffee places opening up here. But we are targeting our local market and when you say to someone that you’re in Mill Street, they know where that is anyway.’