The Athlete's Foot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Athlete's Foot Brands, LLC | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Private |
| Founded | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Headquarters | Norcross, GA USA |
| Industry | Athletic Footwear |
| Products | Clothing and Shoes |
| Website | theathletesfoot.com |
The Athlete's Foot (TAF) is the world's first and largest franchisor of athletic footwear.
Robert and David Lando opened the first The Athlete's Foot store in 1971 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [1]It was the first athletic footwear specialty store of its kind in the United States. Soon thereafter, The Athlete's Foot began franchising domestically, with the first franchise store opening in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The first international franchise store opened in 1978 in Adelaide, Australia, the beginning of The Athlete's Foot expansion into over 40 countries.
In 1999, TAF unveiled an award-winning prototype store featuring several technological and design innovations geared toward providing customers with the products and information necessary to choose the ideal shoe for their feet and the athletic activities in which they participate. The center of the new store design is a state-of-the-art FitPrint system that identifies pressure points through different phases of a customer's gait.
In 2006, NexCen Brands, Inc., a public brand management company, acquired TAF and plans to continue to drive the growth of the brand worldwide through franchising.
In June of 2007, TAF unveiled its new "next generation" store design. Inspired by the athletic lifestyle, new stores will feature awnings and banners to evoke a "race day" atmosphere, while fixture details are influenced by design elements of athletic equipment.
Brands carried by The Athlete's Foot include Nike, Adidas, Reebok, New Balance, Converse, Fila, Saucony, Timberland and Vans.
