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 in 1972. The first international franchise store opened in 1978 in Adelaide, Australia, the beginning of The Athlete's Foot® expansion into over 40 countries.

In 2006, NexCen Brands, Inc., a public brand acquisition and management company, acquired The Athlete's Foot and plans to continue to drive the growth of the brand worldwide through its branding and marketing expertise, supplier relationships, and global retail franchise management and support team. Throughout its history of growth, The Athlete's Foot has maintained its high quality brand image, and continues to innovate in its field as the world leader in athletic footwear franchising.

The Athlete's Foot® is the world's first franchisor of athletic footwear stores 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.

WHAT ARE THE FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS?
Within the United States: We look for prospective franchisees with liquid assets of at least US $80,000 and net worth over US $200,000. Liquid assets can be cash or assets easily convertible into cash. In the United States total project costs to open and operate a single store can be between US $196,000 and US $446,000, excluding rent, depending upon size of store and location. This amount will vary depending upon what type of venue you choose for your location, i.e. mall or strip center. The amount will be substantially more if you are considering more than one store, such as an area development agreement.

Outside the United States: For single stores we look for franchisees with liquid assets of at least US $80,000 and net worth over US $200,000. For area development agreements and master franchise agreements we require substantially more capital and the amounts will vary based upon the number of stores involved in the agreement. Total project cost will also vary from country to country based upon labor, real estate, construction costs and other local differences.

WHAT ARE THE FEES?
Single and subsequent single store agreements in the United States: The initial fee for a single store in the US is US $39,900. The initial fee for additional stores is discounted to US $27,930 to provide incentives for existing franchisees to grow. The monthly royalty is five percent (5%) of net sales, which is paid monthly. In addition, one percent (1%) of net sales is contributed to the Marketing Support Fund on a monthly basis. (see below)

Area Development agreement within or outside the United States: This agreement provides incentives (reduced initial fees and ongoing royalties) for franchisees that commit to opening and operating multiple stores. The initial area development fee, the amount of monthly royalty and the possibility of participating in the Marketing Support Fund vary depending upon territory size and whether the territory is domestic or international.

Master Franchise agreement: A master franchisee can open and operate multiple stores with the additional possibility of sub-franchising within a defined territory. The territory is typically a state, a single country or group of neighboring countries and the one time "country fee" or "master fee" is based upon the potential store development within the territory. The amount of monthly royalty and the possibility of participating in the Marketing Support Fund varies.

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The Athlete's Foot® Offers New and Existing Owners Assistance
and Consultation in the Following Areas:
Site selection and lease negotiation. (upon signing of a franchise agreement)
Assistance designing opening inventory, i.e. local demographics, historical data from comparable markets.
Turn key store design and visual merchandising.
Visual marketing support including updates to maintain a fresh image.
In-depth training in the areas of inventory control, purchasing philosophy and retail sales.
Sales training designed to increase associates' sales abilities.
State-of-the-art technology to differentiate from the competition.
Periodic visits from Operations Managers to consult on marketing, merchandising, operations, sales and to reinforce profitability.
Ongoing research and development of in-store marketing and merchandising to increase the brand's competitive edge and remain the leader in the athletic footwear business.
Training aimed at reducing shoplifting and shrinkage.
Employee training programs developed to ensure customer satisfaction and long term customer loyalty.
The opportunity to network with experienced peers who enjoy sharing knowledge to benefit fellow owners and the organization.

The athletic footwear industry is an industry that generates excitement among the employees and franchisees of The Athlete's Foot®. The franchisees possess a genuine passion for the product and the industry. This interest translates into many opportunities to get involved with the community and have fun while building a productive business, such as sponsoring youth sports teams / leagues, sponsoring 5k races and other charity events, offering discounts for good grades, sponsoring track meets, holding focus groups with high school students to stay in touch with fashion trends. These are just a few of the ways to get involved with athletics, kids and the community to generate excitement and support for the business.