Retail Watch: Foot Locker Scores in US, UK, Online

For a few weeks last fall, there were lots of threats coming from NBA players and owners and there seemed to be a collective sinking feeling that there really was a chance that the whole NBA season was going to be scrapped because a bunch of one percenters couldn’t agree on how to distribute all that cash that the 99 percenters dutifully turn over to them for tickets, T-shirts, and miniature branded basketball key rings.

While more than a few players signed on with overseas teams to make some cash while not receiving their NBA paychecks, New York Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire and Foot Locker teamed up for a funny commercial that had him taking a job with the retailer.

Well, all that money stuff got worked out (the NBA is to big to fail!) and games got underway on Christmas Day. Since teams are packing 66 games into a very short time, Stoudemire had to “turn in” his notice (and his ref shirt) to his “manager” at Foot Locker, making for a very funny bookend to the initial video.

Someone at Foot Locker is having some fun with video marketing. The company also has a video at its Foot Locker Unlocked that follows the story of Bronx native Kemba Walker and how he made it to be a first-round draft pick for the Charlotte Bobcats last summer. Of course you’ve got to actually turn over some personal info to see the “VIP blog.” But don’t worry! It also means you’ll be getting “alerted to special promotions, sweepstakes, product releases,” and that sort of thing as a member of its loyalty club.

Things are looking up for the retailer. It just won a Customer Engagement Award from Tourchpoint and Daily Finance recently noted that the company’s “current margins more than 12 times higher than they were five years ago.” It appears that customers are returning after abandoning it slightly at the start of the recession.

Meanwhile, over in the United Kingdom, Foot Locker recently launched an offshoot retail concept, The Locker Room by Foot Locker. Retail Week reports that the new store brand has its own identity but sticks to Foot Locker's proven formula in the U.S.: selling “footwear, clothing and accessories targeted at a 12- to 20-year-old male customer who is influenced by urban trends.”

“The Locker Room by Foot Locker is a fantastic opportunity for the brand to reach out to a new audience, providing them with the best sports performance footwear, apparel, and accessories," commented Foot Locker Europe president and CEO Lew Kimble at a British press preview of the concept. “It is designed for people of all ages and levels with a passion for sports. Whether that sports obsession is in football, running or fitness. “This first concept store is launching in the UK and we’ are hopeful that we can roll it out to other parts of the UK and continental Europe.”

“The UK accounted for just $126m (£81m) of its total global sales of $5bn (£3.2bn) in its year ended December 2010, and is only its fourth biggest European market, behind Italy, France and Germany,” Retail Week reports. With The Locker Room, the company's hope is to boost that considerably.