A massive rebranding effort is under way at The Athlete's Foot, which currently has 620 stores in 45 countries, including Australia.

The brand is aiming for a more modern and cohesive store look with a new red and white logo featuring a winged foot over the letters "TAF." The first rebranded stores will open in November, with more than 100 new franchised locations opening by the end of the year.

Since The Athlete's Foot is a 100% franchised system, in the past its strength was also often its weakness, said Bob D'Loren, president and CEO of NexCen Brands, the retailer's parent company. "Our stores are owned by very innovative entrepreneurs around the world who adapted to their local markets, but they were doing it in an inconsistent way across the system .

"Our job for the redesign was to leverage that strength and develop a consistent way of marketing so that we're sending a clear message about who we are and what we stand for to the consumer and our vendor partners."

The biggest change comes in the merchandising options now available to all franchisees around the world, and the new store look addresses how the athletic footwear industry has changed over the last 10 years. According to D'Loren, the focus has gone from being more performance-driven to more fashion-driven, and from that, four distinct styles have emerged: performance, classic athletic, fusion and urban.

Each of the "lifestyles" are represented and merchandised in separate modules in the new store format, says D'Loren. Franchisees can choose one, two, three or all four modules for their stores. The redesign also includes sensory marketing to get the stores to not only look right, but to sound and smell right in today's environment, explains D'Loren. "It creates a great environment for the consumer."

Inspired by a runner's lifestyle, the in-store design evokes a "race day" atmosphere. Banners, awnings and the new signage direct consumers around the store. "When you show up for a race, that's what you would see," he says. "Let's give them an environment that's similar to the environment they're in when they're competing."

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