Problem: Franchisees running The Athlete’s Foot stores often created their own in-store merchandising programs, resulting in an inconsistent brand message.

Solution: The new parent company created a standardized, modular merchandising system with interchangeable elements for franchisees. Now, the brand statement is unified from store to store.

The Athlete’s Foot (TAF) was born in 1971, when its first store opened in Pittsburgh. The company subsequently became the world’s first franchisor of athletic footwear stores.

Over the next three decades, TAF experienced steady growth, expanding to more than 600 stores worldwide, including about 275 in the U.S. Then, in October 2006, the company was acquired by NexCen Brands Inc. (New York).

NexCen specializes in re-energizing consumer brands. Just seven months after buying the retailer, NexCen unveiled its plans to franchisees at their annual convention.

“The footwear retailing industry is increasingly driven by the lifestyles of our consumers, not just the technical aspects of footwear,” NexCen president and ceo Robert D’Loren told the TAF gathering. “Our new TAF brand will create an apparel and footwear performance shop that appeals to ‘everyday athletes.’” The company uses the latter tag to describe its target market of consumers who either work out or participate in sports on a regular or semi-regular basis.

The new TAF environment, which represents the chain’s first major design overhaul since 1999, includes the following elements:

• a sleek, updated version of the company’s iconic winged foot logo for storefront signage, p-o-p displays and other collateral uses;

• a store design inspired by the athletic lifestyle, featuring awnings and banners meant to evoke a “race day” atmosphere for shoppers;

• an in-store, flat screen video system (dubbed “TAF TV”) offering customers health and fitness tips, vendor promotions and ads when the stores are open; during off-hours, the screens display trend-spotting reports for store owners and training sessions for employees;

• a flexible merchandising system that allows the customization of store offerings to suit specific communities and the customers in those communities.

The merchandising system is especially key in creating a consistent brand message for TAF. D’Loren says that prior to the redesign, “each franchisee created his or her own merchandising concept to appeal to consumers in the community. While this local orientation was our strength, it was also our weakness, because we weren’t giving a clear, consistent message from store to store about what our brand stood for.”

The new merchandising system eliminates that problem by allowing franchisees to “mix and match” themed modules of wall and floor fixtures within their stores. Each of those modules is wrapped in a graphics package reflecting the featured style of merchandise it carries: “performance athletics” (for serious sports players), “classic athletics” (retro, collegiate-style merchandise), “street athletics” (goods with an urban vibe) or “fusion athletics” (an edgy model inspired by extreme and board sports).

D’Loren says the new store environment also allows franchisees to be responsive to the demands of their core customers in each of their store locations. “It lets franchisees set up their stores in such a manner that they can meet the demands of all their customers – from the suburban runner to the urban skateboard enthusiast,” he says.

The first new-look TAF opened last November in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in a store owned by franchisee Tommy Wagner. Based on Wagner’s knowledge of the local community and its proximity to the University of Alabama, the new Tuscaloosa TAF features performance and classic athletics styles, creating a look and product balance that he believes will score with his core clientele.

NexCen plans to roll out TAF’s new-look store design systemwide over the next five years.

Have you helped a retailer overcome a recent design-related problem, and can share that experience with the readers of VM+SD? Send an article proposal to Matthew Hall, at matthew.hall@stmediagroup.com.

The Athlete’s Foot’s franchisees can “mix and match” the merchandising systems within their stores to appeal to specific customer types. Sign-age on the walls and on hanging pennants identifies the category of consumer being appealed to, such as “performance athletics” for serious sports participants.