The Athlete's Foot (TAF)is the world's first franchisor of athletic footwear stores and is recognized today as the world leader in athletic footwear franchising. Robert and David Lando opened the first The Athlete's Foot store in 1971 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first athletic footwear specialty store of its kind in the United States. Soon thereafter, The Athlete's Foot began franchising domestically, with the first store opening in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The first international franchise store opened in 1978 in Adelaide, Australia. The Company is now in more than 40 countries.

In June, 2007, NexCen Brands launched a global re-branding effort for TAF. With a mission on meeting the needs of athletes everyday, there are plans for reinvigorating the 37 year-old brand to include an innovative new modular merchandising system, new in-store design, a modernized company logo, and a line of TAF branded apparel.

NexCen acquired The Athlete’s Foot in November 2006, beginning the growth of a diverse portfolio of consumer brands and franchise-related assets. Since the acquisition, NexCen has built the value of The Athlete’s Foot brand through a new corporate identity, retail environment, innovative marketing efforts, enhanced supplier relationships, and the expertise of NexCen’s retail franchise management and support team. The growth of the franchise network continues through new agreements with existing franchisees, commitments from new franchise owners, and opening of new markets around the world. Throughout this growth, NexCen remains committed to building marketing programs for TAF that are locally relevant and affirm the global dominance of the brand.