The Athlete's Foot
Encyclopedia
The Athlete's Foot is a franchisor of athletic footwear.
In 1971, David Lando realized that athletic shoes were by far the highest selling product in his store. That year, he and his son, Michael Lando, opened the first Athlete's Foot store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. 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 a 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 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
.
In 1971, David Lando realized that athletic shoes were by far the highest selling product in his store. That year, he and his son, Michael Lando, opened the first Athlete's Foot store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. 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
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
As of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
. 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 a 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 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
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
, Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
, New Balance
New Balance
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. , best known as simply New Balance, is a footwear manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. It was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company...
, Converse, Fila
Fila (company)
Fila is one of the world's largest sportswear manufacturing companies. Founded in 1911 in Italy, Fila has been owned and operated from South Korea since a takeover in 2007. Headed by chairman and CEO Yoon-Soo Yoon, Fila now has offices in 11 countries worldwide....
, Saucony
Saucony
Saucony is an American manufacturer of athletic shoes, best-known today for its premium running shoes and men's and women's apparel.-History:...
, Timberland
The Timberland Company
The Timberland Company is an American manufacturer and retailer of outdoors wear with a focus on footwear. Its three key locations are in Stratham, New Hampshire; Danville, Kentucky; and Ontario, California....
and Vans
Vans
Vans is an American based manufacturer of sneakers, skateboarding shoes, BMX shoes, snowboarding boots and other shoe types.- History :On March 16, 1966, at 704 E. Broadway, in Anaheim, California, brothers Paul Van Doren, James Van Doren, and three other partners opened up their first store...
.