$8 billion Foot Locker begins 'lace up' pilgrimage to St. Petersburg

At the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corp.'s annual meeting, held Feb. 19 at the St. Pete Museum of History, there was a new face in the crowd: Foot Locker Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Frank Bracken was welcomed as a representative of the latest Fortune 100 company to move to the area, joining Jabil, TD Synnex and Raymond James. 

“Early last year, we actually made the full commitment to move our global headquarters from New York City on 34th Street and Ninth Avenue down to St Pete here and so we're thrilled with that decision. We're thrilled with the opportunity that presents us,” Bracken told the crowd.

Foot Locker has had a presence in Florida for quite some time. One of its retail banners, Champs Sports, was founded in Bradenton. The Bradenton office closed and moved to a St. Pete office purchased in early 2020. 250 workers are currently working out of the space while the New York office makes the shift southward, a move announced last year as the 'Lace Up' plan that is expected to be completed by October, according to Bracken. 

Bracken noted he doesn’t expect everyone to relocate and anticipates filling those talent gaps with local employees. “We're going to be, you know, hanging a shingle. Looking to hire, looking to recruit everything from merchandising, financial planning, accounting, supply chain, digital e-commerce, data analytics, reporting, all of the core functions of our company are going to be, I'm certain, looking for great talent.”

More than just filling jobs, Bracken waxed enthusiastically about sneaker culture, too. “Sneaker culture is a beautiful thing. For those of you don't know a ton about it, it connects all walks of life. It is becoming more democratic, more accepted in offices and schools and churches and all the way around,” he said, “And so it's an incredible community. We're super thankful for the business we do and our consumers and the way they pay it forward to us. We are definitely open for business as we look toward Q4 and the opening of our new space.”

Foot Locker is an $8 billion footwear retailer with 2,700 company owned and franchised stores according to Bracken. It operates five retail banners: Foot Locker, Foot Locker Kids, Champs Sports, WSS and Atmos out of Tokyo, Japan.