is a major sportswear and footwear retailer based in the
United States , with its headquarters in
New York City , and operating in approximately 20 countries worldwide. It is the successor corporation to the
F.W. Woolworth Company (“Woolworth’s”). Foot Locker, Inc. operates the eponymous “Foot Locker” chain of athletic footwear retail outlets (along with “Kids Foot Locker” and “Lady Foot Locker” stores),
Champs Sports ,
Footaction USA , and
Eastbay /
Footlocker.com
In the
1970s and
1980s , the Woolworth’s corporation began to open a number of specialty chains dedicated to specific types of products. Woolworth’s opened the first Footlocker stores in
1974 .
In
1989 , the F.W. Woolworth Company incorporated a separate company called the "Woolworth Corporation" in the state of
New York . The Woolworth Corporation was responsible for the operations of the Foot Locker stores, amongst the other specialty chains operated by Woolworth's.
During the
1980s and
1990s , the F.W. Woolworth Company’s flagship
Department Store chain fell into decline, ultimately culminating in the closure of the last stores operating under the name of Woolworth’s in the United States in 1997. The Woolworth Corporation remained the parent company of Foot Locker, and in 1998 it changed its name to "
Venator Group, Inc. "
As the “Foot Locker”
Brand had became the Woolworth/Venator company’s top performing line, on
October 20 ,
2001 Venator changed its name to the current "Foot Locker, Inc." name.
According to the company's filings with the
SEC , as of
January 28 ,
2006 , Foot Locker, Inc. had 3,921 primarily mall-based stores in the United States,
Canada ,
Europe and Asia Pacific (including
Australia and
New Zealand ).
Foot Locker, Inc. website
