The Athlete's Foot (TAF) is a global retailer of athletic inspired lifestyle and streetwear —

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serve the purpose of protective clothing, protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from rough ground; stability on slippery ground; and temperature. *Shoes and si ...

apparel Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

and accessories. Its global headquarters are located Stans, Switzerland and US headquarters in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

History

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 The Athlete's Foot store in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. It was the first athletic footwear specialty store of its kind in the United States. Soon thereafter, The Athlete's Foot began expanding in the United States. Among Lando's partners were his brother Robert and Sidney Gilbert of

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

. The first international franchise store opened in 1976 in

Adelaide, Australia Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, the beginning of The Athlete's Foot expansion across the world. In 2004, The Athlete's Foot filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

protection, and announced that they would close all of their 124 company-owned stores in the United States, leaving the brand with 593 independent franchise locations left. Today, The Athlete's Foot is present in 30 countries across the world with over 550 stores, from United States and Australia, to Europe, Asia, Middle East and Latin America. In 2012, the brand was acquired by

Intersport INTERSPORT International Corporation ("IIC"), commonly known as INTERSPORT, is an international sporting goods retailer with its headquarters based in Bern, Switzerland. IIC is the purchasing and brand management company of the INTERSPORT grou ...

International Corporation (IIC), the world's largest sporting goods retail group, headquartered in Bern, Switzerland. In 2021, Intersport sold The Athlete's Foot business to the Arklyz Group. Strategic brand partners of The Athlete's Foot include

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...

, Asics,

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), doing business as New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Su ...

, Converse,

Puma SE Puma SE is a German multinational corporation which designs and manufactures athletic and casual footwear, apparel, and accessories, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. Puma is the third largest sportswear manufacturer in the w ...

and

Vans Vans (originally called the Van Doren Rubber Company) is an American apparel, accessories, and skateboarding shoes brand, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and ...

Stores

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Athlete's Foot Sporting goods retailers Retail companies established in 1971 Companies based in Atlanta 1971 establishments in Pennsylvania Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2004 2006 mergers and acquisitions 2012 mergers and acquisitions 2021 mergers and acquisitions Franchises