Franchise Directory > The Athlete's Foot

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The World's First and Most Successful

The Athlete's Foot® is the world's first franchisor of athletic footwear and is recognized today as the world leader in athletic footwear franchising. Robert and David Lando opened the first The Athlete's Foot® store in 1971 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.

The Athlete's Foot®'s franchise opportunity has been highlighted in Success Magazine, Franchise Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Franchise Canada Magazine and numerous other publications globally. The Athlete's Foot® was also named Sports Trend's “Trendsetter of the Year” in both the athletic footwear and virtual retail categories.

The Athlete's Foot® is a member of numerous organizations including the International Franchise Association, Canadian Franchise Association, International Council of Shopping Centers and the Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association.

Dynamic, Successful Concepts

The Athlete's Foot® brand has proven to be a very flexible concept as demonstrated by the company's presence in large cities and small towns, and in enclosed malls, strip shopping centers and street front locations across six continents. The Athlete's Foot® real estate consultants assist franchisees in evaluating their local market to determine which type of venue is best for their market. Then The Athlete's Foot® will help the franchisee identify the target customer base and an accompanying plan of attack tailored to the local customer demographics.  

In 1999, The Athlete's Foot® 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. At the heart 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. This unique FitPrint system has proven to be a substantial competitive advantage for The Athlete's Foot®.

While The Athlete's Foot® operates corporate and franchised stores in malls and strip centers, in urban neighborhoods and small towns, across a wide variety of customer demographics, one thing remains constant, and that is the brand's commitment to being the World's Definitive Expert On Athletic Footwear. The Athlete's Foot® challenges anybody to find an athletic footwear retailer worldwide with more knowledgeable employees. The Athlete's Foot® is the World's Definitive Expert On Athletic Footwear.

The Future

The Athlete's Foot® has enjoyed significant growth over the last several years and we will continue this growth for years to come. Leveraging our strengths and brand will ensure our leadership posture as the worlds most widely recognized franchisor of athletic footwear.

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