- Matthew Fields

As The Athlete's Foot moves forward with a major rebranding program, parent company NexCen Brands has appointed Darius Billings as director of retail brand marketing and merchandising at NexCen Franchise Management to oversee the initiative.

Billings, who is based in Norcross, Ga., plans to increase the assortment of performance and fashion apparel stocked by The Athlete's Foot, and to introduce new exclusive clothing, including a possible TAF private label product. The proposed store brand items are "compelling, functional and fashionable," he said. "I'm confident there's growth for the franchise in apparel."

Billings acknowledged that the franchise's full name—The Athlete's Foot—still holds considerable equity, but he stressed that the retailer will position itself more in the future under the acronym "taf." Stores are getting interior makeovers with new signage and new display racks.

Franchises that will be opening have the option of using several different modernized logos and in-store layouts. TafTEC is the name of the proposed private label apparel products. There are two stores: taf performance store, which is the flagship store model; and tafUP, which stands for Urban Premium and is more of a boutique specializing in sports fashion and urban wear.

The Athlete's Foot has 242 stores in 32 states. NexCen only spent $60,000 on measured ads in the U.S. in 2007 (not including online), per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

In urban areas, the tafUP logo will sometimes be used to go along with a boutique feeling within the store. "TafUP is about sports fashion and providing the customers with the hook-up," said Billings, referring to an outfit, such as shoes matching with a T-shirt and a hat. He added that the taf performance store will serve as a one-stop shop for customers with specific technical needs for performance apparel.

Existing stores with the old logo and in-store displays will gradually adapt toward the "fresher" versions. Within the taf performance stores, products will undergo a new modular merchandising system that divides products by function. Different colors will divide products according to performance, classic, street and fusion.

"I want the [franchisee] to take what we can provide and execute on a local level," said Billings. "I think I bring a new perspective to a renewed brand. The recent rebranding efforts have created some nice opportunities for taf, and I want to make sure we capitalize on these opportunities."

Prior to joining NexCen, Billings served as a merchandiser trainer for Nike and a product line manager and a retail marketing manager for And1. He reports to Jennifer Johnston, svp-brand marketing at NexCen Franchise Management.

"Darius' extensive experience in marketing and merchandising are a perfect fit for taf," said Johnston. "We are confident he will help strengthen taf's position as a leader in the athletic footwear market."