The Athlete's Foot (TAF), worldwide leader in athletic footwear franchising, announced that the first next generation TAF performance store will open in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, next week. The Tuscaloosa franchise location is the first in the world to feature the new store design, logo and merchandising system that was announced by TAF's parent company, NexCen Brands Inc (NexCen) in June of this year.
"We're changing the face of footwear retailing," commented NexCen's President and CEO, Robert W. D'Loren. "The industry is increasingly driven by overall lifestyle of our consumers, not just the technical aspects of footwear. Our new TAF brand and store embodies this shift in the retail climate by creating an apparel and footwear performance shop that appeals to everyday athletes."
TAF of the Future: The hallmarks of the new TAF are: a sleek, modern corporate identity that replaces the 36-year old Athlete's Foot logo; a store design inspired by the athletic lifestyle, featuring awnings and banners meant to evoke a "race day" atmosphere; and an innovative merchandising system that allows customization of store offerings to suit individual communities and athletes.
The merchandising system, which consists of wall and floor unit fixtures that are "wrapped" in a graphics package expressing the featured style: performance athletics (pure athletic performance), classic athletics (retro, collegiate varsity style), street athletics (urban vibe) or fusion athletics (edgy model inspired by extreme and board sports).