The City of Coral Springs will have its athletic footwear headquarters at the Athlete’s Foot in Pine Ridge Square.
There are 29,000 school-aged children, of which over 11,000 participate in the city’s 16 structured athletic programs. Within three miles, there is a total of 27 schools that offer varying degrees and levels of athletic programming.
There are 57,000 adults between the ages of 20 and 54 within three miles of the center. This is Florida’s prime running age. There were 250 runners from Parkland, Coconut Creek and Coral Springs participating in January’s Walt Disney Marathon & Half Marathon. That’s just one example, however, of the many runners that make up the community. Coral Springs doesn’t have any stores that offer serious running shoes or novice runners a good selection.
The Athlete’s Foot will concentrate on these two markets. The Athlete’s Foot will focus on these two primary markets to attract other residents looking for sports shoes.
The store is located at the intersection with University Drive/Wiles Road. Fresh Market, Bed Bath & Beyond and Blockbuster Video are the key co-tenants. The store will be located on a 10,000 square foot site. It includes a 10,000 square foot daycare center, a specialty clothing store that sells young men and women’s clothing, a learning centre, four restaurants, and several other youth-oriented business. At the same intersection are: Kmart, Steinmart, Winn Dixie, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, three banks, six additional restaurants, and three gas stations. The intersection boasts approximately 400,000 sq.ft of retail space. University Drive will be extended north to Boca Raton. Wiles Road is being extended east to Coconut Creek. This intersection sees approximately 55,000 cars per hour.
There is minimal competition within Coral Springs. There are several “Mall” stores that sell fashion and athletic footwear. They offer limited service and virtually no technical knowledge or expertise for running shoes. They do not make any effort to capture “sports specific” shoes, such as those used for soccer, baseball, football cleats, and related accessories.
The Athlete’?s Foot will be a franchisee for The Athlete’s Foot, Inc., the leader in franchising athletic footwear. Over 700 stores have been franchised or owned by companies in 33 countries. By becoming an Athlete’s Foot franchise, we benefit from a comprehensive support program that includes:
- Access to special vendor discounts including; Nike, Reebok, Fila, New Balance, Adidas, Converse, Brooks, etc.
- Advice and assistance in real estate selection and negotiation
- Proven store design.
- Planned and controlled merchandising system, assortment directions, and coordinated stock control
- Training in all aspects, including the manufacture and sale of athletic shoes, through seminars and workshops
- Support via video, monthly publications and regional meetings. Co-franchise networking.
- Assistance with local advertising campaigns and the National Advertising Program
- The industry’s most advanced “Fit Technician” and Research and Development programmes.
1.1 Objectives
The Athlete’s Foot business plan has the following objectives:
- The Athlete’s foot will be the home of athletic footwear. We offer professional customer service and are committed to making it a success. Customer service is measured by repeat business (our goal to have 50% of our customers returning within six months for another purchase) and multiple purchases (our goal to have 30% of our non running and 60% of running shoes sales come with an additional purchase).
- To be an active participant and supporter in Coral Springs Athletic Community. To create a youth and adult running team to promote a healthy lifestyle. We aim to have 150 members of the running club by the end the 18th month.
- To achieve 33% sales growth in year 2, and to maintain a minimum 15% annual increase.
1.2 Mission
The Athlete’′
s Foot retail store specializes in selling authentic athletic shoes for the whole family. The store will be specializing in children’s sports shoes. It also stocks a variety of men’s, women’s, and kids’ running shoes. We will provide consumers with technical knowledge on the proper fit and style of athletic footwear for their various needs. We will be the only full-service athletic footwear store with quality, knowledgeable sales help in this city of 100,000 people.
Our mission is to become the central point for the Coral Springs athlete. Coral Springs has one of the largest and most sophisticated community athletic programs in the United States. The proposed store is within three-miles of approximately 29,000 school-aged kids.
We believe sponsorship, seminars, team promotion and community running will be key to achieving our headquarters position.