The Athlete's Foot history

The first franchised store opened in June 1972 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

In 1975 David Lando sold the business to his 60-year-old brother Robert and a group of investors.

Ketoconazole was discovered by a Belgian company in 1977.

The first international franchising agreement was signed in 1978 for Australia.

1981 The Athlete's Foot (TAF) commenced operations in Australia under licence from a US-based master franchisor.

Ketoconazole was approved for clinical use in 1982.

The Athlete's Foot receded to 450 units over the next few years and did not resume its growth until the installation of a new CEO, Glenn E. Hemmerle, at the start of 1988.

The company placed greater emphasis on international markets where there was less saturation, and grew the chain to more than 700 stores by the summer of 1997.

Serralta was replaced in 1998 by Robert J. Corliss, the former CEO of the Herman's sporting goods chain.

Also in 1999 the company launched a new women's specific format, The Athlete's Foot For Her, opening a pair of stores in Katy, Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

To help fund the expansion drive, which included rolling out new prototype stores and the installation of FitPrint technology to both domestic and international units, the company secured a $38 million line of credit with Wells Fargo Retail Finance in 2001.

But if there is an opportunity that makes sense to us, we'll take advantage of it." One of those opportunities was in Canada, where the company opened a pair of franchised operations in 2003.

In December 2004 the company filed a voluntary Chapter 11 liquidation petition in United States Bankruptcy Court in New York.

Reed War, Paula, "Obituary: Robert N. Lando," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 6, 2005.

The Athlete's Foot is bought by ASX listed company RCG Corporation Limited (“RCG”). In late 2006, RCG underwent a board transformation, and as of today, now owns several different footwear businesses of which The Athlete's Foot is the largest.

2008 TAF opens the first of its new larger format, concept stores.

2009 The Athlete's Foot purchased a 249 year brand licence for Australia and New Zealand, effectively severing ties with the licensor.

2012 TAF launches their e-commerce store with a virtual footwear finder.

2013 TAF launches their new and largest concept store in Warringah Mall, NSW. Featuring a store in store concept, new layout and introduction of an extended range for customers.

2014 FITZI(R), the world's most comprehensive fit technology solution is launched in all stores to replace the 10 year old FITPRINT(R) fitting system.

2017 The Athlete's Foot launches its first brand advertising campaign in more than five years to support a major rebrand.

2018 The Athlete's Foot became an official partner of parkrun Australia.

2019 The Athlete's Foot extends its partnership with parkrun Australia for another 3 years.