“Becoming a Fleet Feet franchise allowed me to marry my passion for running, helping others and supporting my community with my desire to own my own business. I opened my store in an area where I had never lived, and Fleet Feet's support system and brand awareness were pivotal in my early success.”
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Why Own a Fleet Feet
Community Retail
Known as the community hub
Owning a business is tough work. But when your business builds community and gets people moving together, that's something special. At Fleet Feet, our secret sauce is flavored by passionate people. Our owners are leaders who care about their employees and the communities they serve. If you have a desire to become a part of something that truly changes lives, then we want to meet you.
Strong National Brand
The best stores in specialty running
Our very first store opened in 1976. Only a handful of running stores existed, and they were all owned by men. Our founders were two driven women in their mid-twenties, Sally Edwards and Elizabeth Jansen. Against all odds, they opened the first Fleet Feet in Sacramento, CA, where their store became a hub for people of all backgrounds and abilities to run together.
Today, Fleet Feet is the largest franchisor of running specialty stores in the United States. With over 270 community-based stores nationwide and the ability to adapt and grow in a fast-paced retail landscape, Fleet Feet is primed for success with a recognized brand and a proven model that works.
Built-in Support
Equipped with tools for success
We're here to help you make this dream a reality. When you own a Fleet Feet store, you learn from a network of successful franchisees and receive essential resources from our store support team. As an entrepreneur, you get an ideal balance of autonomy and partnership as you serve your customers on the sales floor and in your community.
Customer Experience
Known for exceptional customer service
Fleet Feet's personalized customer experience helps customers feel seen. With a combination of highly trained staff and innovative technology, customers find insightful recommendations and high quality products during every visit. Beyond products, Fleet Feet offers a variety of community-based experiences that help customers get moving and feel connected, like events, group runs, training programs and more.
Hear From Our Franchisees
“The most rewarding part of joining Fleet Feet has been putting smiles on faces. We get to bring comfort to our customers through our advice and products, and we get to engage with our staff and watch them grow personally and professionally.”
“Fleet Feet is more than a franchise … Fleet Feet feels like a close-knit family! We felt encouraged to grow and succeed from the top down. From the sales support team to the other store owners, Fleet Feet's core values shine through. It's the best decision we've ever made!”
“I think Fleet Feet has a really awesome blend of autonomy and partnership with our store support team. You get to have an independent spirit as a business owner, but then you also have a lot of resources to help you be successful.”
“There are so many things that make Fleet Feet unique. It's the dream of building something bigger than a business. It's the one-on-one service, which I think we need now more than ever. People are craving connection and community and Fleet Feet is there to provide it.”
“People know Fleet Feet across the nation. We stand for community, support and best-in-class customer service. We truly believe that Running Changes Everything and have seen first-hand that a good-fitting pair of shoes can change your life and perspective.”
“If you have the desire and passion for owning a Fleet Feet store, don't hesitate. The franchise process is smooth and welcoming, offering you the opportunity to meet the entire corporate team. What truly sets Fleet Feet apart is the professionalism and the meaningful connections you'll make. Everyone is eager to assist you throughout the process.”
“Fleet Feet onboarding has a very successful track record of getting new stores growing quickly. The results speak for themselves. Learning is an ongoing journey and along the way other Franchisees and the SST are always open to support. I can't think of a single time I didn't get a timely and reasonable response to a request.”
A Nationally Recognized Brand
Year after year, Fleet Feet stores receive honors for the outstanding experiences we provide to our customers, both on the sales floor and out in the community.
Benefits of Franchising
Open a New Store
Start your own business with a built-in support system. When you open a new Fleet Feet store, you open a new hub of employment, fitness and community connection, where our behind-the-scenes teams create operational efficiencies that allow you to focus on what matters most.
Inquire About AvailabilityConvert an Existing Store
Conversions have become our fastest-growing category. If you're an independent retailer, converting to Fleet Feet means you'll have immediate access to our industry-leading tools and resources, allowing you to work smarter and see more profit.
Buy an Existing Store
If you're looking to buy a store, our development team can help. We assist with details large and small, including how to value an existing store, our typical process and more.
How We Support Our Franchisees
As a Fleet Feet franchise, you join a brand recognized for outstanding customer service and quality products. We provide the tools you need to acquire, serve and retain customers so you can manage your business with optimum results. Our industry-leading tools, passionate franchise base and store support team are all resources you can count on.
- In-Store Experience
- Staffing
- Marketing
- Operations
- E-Commerce Solutions
- Finance
- Email Marketing
- Vendor Partnerships
Make Your Ownership Dreams a Reality
Ready to get started? Your journey with Fleet Feet starts here. To kick things off, reach out to our team to express your interest via form or phone—your preference.
Complete this form, or...
- Call our toll-free Customer Care
number - 855-213-4301 - Our team will be in touch shortly.
- We can’t wait to meet you!
Our Franchise Experience
Franchising FAQs
We are looking for:
- Driven entrepreneurs
- Community leaders
- Team players
- People who see problems as opportunities
- Educators and motivators
- People with excellent organizational skills
We will give you the tools to acquire, serve, and retain customers, and the support to manage a business with optimum results. Areas of training we provide include (but are not limited to):
- The Fleet Feet customer experience
- The Fleet Feet outfitting process
- Daily Store Operations/POS System
- Hiring, training, and managing staff
- Marketing your business in your local community
- Financial and inventory management
- Purchasing
Candidates should have a net worth of at least $250,000.
Your total investment will fall between $228,500 and $545,000. You will be expected to put down a minimum of 30%, which is generally equal to $100,000 (some may come from friends, family or investors). The remaining balance can be funded through a collateralized bank loan or line of credit. Fleet Feet must approve the lender.
Major costs include:
Initial franchise fee
$45,000 (Fleet Feet employees who have worked for the brand for 36-plus months receive $10,000 off the initial fee.)
Opening Inventory
$80,000 to $120,000
Real Estate and Improvements
$50,000 to $200,000
Store Fixtures
$35,000 to $103,000
Computer System
$3,800 to $11,700
Other costs include:
- 4% monthly royalty and 0.25% monthly marketing fund
- Monthly utility and software costs associated with running a business
Upon execution of your franchise agreement, you will receive a protected area consisting of a population base of approximately 200,000 (provided the population does not exceed a 25-mile radius). We will not operate nor allow another party to operate a Fleet Feet retail store within your protected area during the life of the agreement.
The typical timeline is 8 to 12 months. It may take longer if you don’t live in the area where you plan to open.
Yes, our franchise owners work in their stores. We do not franchise with investment or absentee owners. Our owner-operators bring a distinct competitive advantage to our business model.
Yes, if it makes sense both financially and operationally, and if the market can support it.
No. At this time, we are not set up to open franchises outside of the United States.
The size will vary based on real estate in your market. Most new stores open with 1500 to 2000 square feet.
You will purchase most inventory directly from vendors and we’ll help you establish both your credit and relationships with vendors. We make certain equipment and branded products available for purchase from us at your option.
With Fleet Feet, you will gain national account recognition with accompanying discounts, invoice terms, discretionary funds and access to exclusive products.
Conversion FAQs
Our goal is to help you grow your business by providing tools, resources, and support to make everything you do more efficient and purposeful. That way you have more time to focus on the keys to success: customer acquisition, customer experience and staff development.
All conversion stores rebrand, but it’s a slow and deliberate process—sometimes it can take several months. It’s typically an “inside-out” approach. That means you will immediately utilize Fleet Feet tools for the back of the house and, over time, introduce the Fleet Feet name to the front of the house.
We work with you to create a communication strategy so that your customers understand what’s happening—that your staff will still be there to help them, that you will continue to support the community and that you will be able to provide them with additional resources as Fleet Feet.
We pay you to rebrand and you pay us a royalty fee. The royalty fee provides access to all of our tools and support, the network of business owners around the country and our corporate office staff (we have expertise in a wide variety of areas including operations, finance, marketing, real estate, store design and more). Think of it this way: When you start the conversion process, you hire us as your consultants. Our goal is to be your best employee.
It begins with a simple phone conversation so that we can get to know each other and learn how we can work together. At the end of the call, if we all feel interested in pursuing the partnership, we visit you and your store and invite you to our corporate offices in Carrboro, NC, to meet our team. During this time, you can also speak with other franchisees who have converted their independent stores and even attend one of our yearly national conferences.
After this time and research, if we both feel a sense of alignment, you sign a franchise agreement and we assign a Fleet Feet coach to oversee your onboarding process and tailor training to your specific needs.
None of these will change. You will continue to operate under your entity and your accounts and the sales reps with whom you work will remain the same. These local reps will continue to receive commissions on your account.
Upon execution of your franchise agreement, you will receive a protected area consisting of a population base of approximately 200,000 (provided the population does not exceed a 25-mile radius). We will not operate nor allow another party to operate a Fleet Feet retail store within your protected area during the life of the agreement.