The Athlete's Foot Expands in Canada

The Athlete's Foot Marketing Associates, Inc., a subsidiary of The Athlete's Foot Group, Inc. has signed an agreement with Wayne Metcalf for Franchise rights to open The Athlete's Foot stores throughout Calgary, Alberta in Canada. The company projects five store openings with the first store opening expected in spring of 2003.

"A concerted effort is underway to expand our presence in Canada," said Robert J. Corliss, president and CEO of The Athlete's Foot. "We are very enthusiastic about the Calgary agreement and look forward to bringing our concept to other Canadian provinces," he adds.

The company is currently in negotiations with other franchise prospects in Canada and is looking to expand its presence through multiple-unit franchise agreements in the higher population provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.

Wayne Metcalf is a sports enthusiast and successful entrepreneur in Calgary. "Mr. Metcalf has the dedication, knowledge and commitment to excellence that is essential to running a successful franchise operation. I am confident this venture will result in tremendous success for Mr. Metcalf and The Athlete's Foot," says Martin Amschler, vice president of franchise for The Athlete's Foot.

The Athlete's Foot's expansion in Canada is in keeping with its strategic plan for aggressive franchise growth in international markets. The company is the largest franchisor of retail athletic footwear in the world and currently operates over 700 stores in more than 40 countries. The company plans to add an additional 120 franchise stores globally this year with further plans to expand its operation to over 1,000 stores. "The Athlete's Foot's growth in Canada is instrumental to our achieving this goal," stated Corliss.

 The Athlete's Foot Group, Inc. is a privately owned international athletic footwear retailer based in Atlanta, Georgia. The company was recognized as a "Trendsetter of the Year" for 1999 and 2000 by Sports Trend magazine, a leading sporting goods industry trade publication. It has also been named Success magazine's number one Franchise Opportunity and Entrepreneur International magazine's eighth largest global retail franchisor. The company was also recently named Entrepreneur Magazine's #1 Franchise Opportunity for 2003 in the sports equipment category.