In 1971, Robert and David Lando opened the first The Athlete's Foot store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Back then, it was the first athletic footwear specialty store of its kind in the United States. It later became the world's first franchisor of athletic footwear with over 200 domestic stores by 1978. That same year, the striving American chain went international, opening a store in Adelaide, Australia.

A world leader
Today The Athlete’s Foot is still recognized as one of the world’s leaders in athletic footwear, priding itself on proper fit and customer service. It has been highlighted in Success Magazine (ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in America), Franchise Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Franchise Canada Magazine and numerous other publications globally.  It was also named Sports Trend's - "Trendsetter of the Year" in both the athletic footwear and virtual retail categories in 2000.

Its legacy continues. In 2012, The Athlete’s Foot was acquired by INTERSPORT International Corp. (IIC), based in Switzerland. The company continues to grow, opening more stores in more countries every year. And it continues to empower people everywhere to embrace their very own sport with style.

Steps To Becoming A Franchisee

• Completes Franchise Application
• Phone Interview
• Uniform Franchise Offering Circular (UFOC) to candidate
• Signs the Acknowledgement of Receipt
• Reviews Uniform Franchise Offering Circular (UFOC) with business advisors
• Contacts existing franchisees to learn more about The Athlete’s Foot
• Begins to build preliminary business plan
• Discuss requirements and options for financing
• Discuss requirements and options
• Schedule a Discovery Day at The Athlete’s Foot World Headquarters in Atlanta
• Attends a Discovery Day at The Athlete’s Foot World Headquarters
• Reviews candidate’s application and notifies candidate of results
• Sign Franchise Agreement and pays Initial Franchise Fee
• Secure real estate
• Franchisee enrolls in New Owner Training course