The Athlete’s Foot NZ: Is It Still Open? Locations & History

Anyone who has typed “The Athlete’s Foot NZ” into a search bar knows the pause: are we looking at a shoe shop or a foot cream? The answer is both, but only in name.

Founded: 1976 ·
Headquarters: Australia ·
Current owner: Accent Group ·
Stores: 142 across Australia & New Zealand

Six facts, one pattern: a retail business that has spent decades turning a shoe purchase into a fitted service.

The table shows a business with a clear corporate structure and a measured NZ footprint.

Does the athlete’s foot still exist?

In one sense, yes: athlete’s foot is a fungal infection with the same name as the store. In another sense, also yes: the retail chain The Athlete’s Foot continues to operate in New Zealand and Australia. They share a name and almost nothing else.

Searches for “The Athlete’s Foot NZ” are therefore split between two audiences: people looking for foot relief and people looking for running shoes. The retail brand’s pages make it clear which one they serve.

What is the origin and history of athlete’s foot?

• The brand: The Athlete’s Foot began in South Australia in 1976, expanded around Australia from 1980 and was established under licence in 1981 (Accent Group (ASX-listed brand owner)).
• The condition: Athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) is a fungal infection that has nothing to do with the store’s business model. If your search was prompted by itching, a pharmacist is the more useful destination.

The pattern: one name, two histories. The retail story is documented; the medical condition is just a homonym that keeps the search results company.

Where was the Athlete’s Foot brand founded?

The founding story is the cleanest part of the brand’s history. Accent Group’s page places the launch in South Australia in 1976 and tracks the expansion that followed. That makes the brand Australian in origin, even though New Zealand shoppers now see it in their own malls.

Where is the Athlete’s Foot head office located in Australia?

• Origin: South Australia, 1976.
• Expansion: Around Australia from 1980, under licence from 1981.
• Corporate base: Australia is the brand’s home market; the owner, Accent Group, is ASX-listed and Australian (Accent Group (ASX-listed brand owner)).

What this means: the New Zealand stores are part of an Australian-led network, so the brand’s “local” feel is real, but the corporate roots run across the Tasman.

Who owns Athlete’s Foot Australia?

Accent Group owns The Athlete’s Foot today (Accent Group (ASX-listed brand owner)). The brand page from the ASX-listed group lists The Athlete’s Foot inside its portfolio and describes a business that operates online and in 142 stores.

Who bought Athlete’s Foot?

• Current owner: Accent Group (ASX-listed).
• Store base: More than 135 stores across Australia and New Zealand, according to the brand’s franchising page (The Athlete’s Foot NZ (franchising page)).
• Franchise model: More than 95% of the network is franchised (same source).

The implication: a famous retail name isn’t a faceless chain; it’s a franchise network. The parent owns the brand, but local franchisees own most of the stores.

How many stores does Athlete’s Foot have?

Accent Group’s brand page says The Athlete’s Foot operates online and in 142 stores across Australia and New Zealand (Accent Group (ASX-listed brand owner)). The brand’s own franchising page gives a slightly different framing: more than 135 stores, with more than 95% franchised.

What are the Athlete’s Foot locations in New Zealand?

• Auckland: Westfield Newmarket (Shop S329, 277-309 Broadway) is listed in ASICS NZ’s stockist directory, which also publishes phone and daily hours (ASICS NZ (brand stockist directory)). Westfield’s directory adds Albany, Manukau City and St Lukes (Westfield NZ (shopping centre directory)).
• Hamilton: Centre Place lists The Athlete’s Foot with store hours and a contact number (Centre Place Hamilton (mall directory)).
• Christchurch: Northlands lists a location with opening hours (Northlands Christchurch (mall directory)), and Westfield Riccarton also appears (Westfield NZ (shopping centre directory)).

The pattern: New Zealand’s presence is concentrated in the main metro malls, but each store runs its own hours. Check the directory before you drive.

Is Athlete’s Foot legit?

Yes, the retailer is legitimate. The signals are concrete: an official website, an ASX-listed parent company, a mall directory presence in multiple cities, and a stockist listing in ASICS NZ’s directory (ASICS NZ (brand stockist directory)). A brand that appears in those places with a phone number and opening hours is clearly trading as a real business.

What is a famous New Zealand shoe brand?

• Fitting model: The Athlete’s Foot NZ says expert fitting and personalised service sit at the centre of the offer (The Athlete’s Foot NZ (official store pages)).
• Technology: MyFit 3D, launched in Australia and NZ in 2019, combines shoe expertise with 3D scanning (The Athlete’s Foot NZ (official store pages)).
• Competitors: Foot Locker and other mall retailers compete on range; The Athlete’s Foot’s stated edge is the fit.

The implication: for anyone comparing retailers, legitimacy isn’t the real question — it’s whether you want the fitting service enough to buy from a specialist rather than a generalist.

Timeline: from 1976 to today

• 1976 – Launched in South Australia (Accent Group (ASX-listed brand owner)).
• 1980–1981 – Expanded around Australia and established under licence (Accent Group (ASX-listed brand owner)).
• 2019 – MyFit 3D launched in Australia and New Zealand (The Athlete’s Foot NZ (official store pages)).
• Today – Operates online and in 142 stores across Australia and New Zealand (Accent Group (ASX-listed brand owner)); New Zealand stores remain listed in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch (Westfield NZ (shopping centre directory)).

Why this matters: this is a half-century retail story that has kept its footing by making fitting the product, not just the shoes.

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

The balance: the big corporate facts are verifiable, while the fine-grained local numbers are not — so treat any specific NZ-only store count with caution.

What the brand says about itself

“The Athlete’s Foot is one of the largest specialty athletic and lifestyle footwear retailers in Australia and New Zealand.”

— The Athlete’s Foot NZ, brand history

“The Athlete’s Foot was launched in South Australia in 1976.”

— Accent Group, brand owner page

The takeaway: both sources tell the same story — an Australian retail brand, decades old, still pitching itself as a footwear specialist rather than a general shoe shop.

What this means for New Zealand shoppers

For New Zealand shoppers, little has changed: The Athlete’s Foot is open, visible in malls, and backed by a listed company. Its real value is the fitting service and the range of running and lifestyle footwear. For anyone whose search started with an itchy foot, the retail chain is not the destination. For New Zealand runners, the distinction is simple: go to The Athlete’s Foot for the fitting, but see a pharmacist for the infection that shares its name.

Related reading: The Athlete’s Foot NZ – About Us History · The Athlete’s Foot NZ – About Us Stores

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