The Athlete’s Foot (TAF) announced that Joe Delphry, a TAF franchise owner since 1999, will be transitioning his seven stores to The Dahir Group, with whom he has shared a long-time friendship.
Dahir took over the reins of the Atlanta, GA (Atlantic Station), Charleston, SC, Winston-Salem, NC, Portsmouth, Newport News, and Suffolk, VA stores as of July 1, 2022, bringing the store count to 20 locations.
Matthew LaFone, president and GM of Americas (TAF), stated, “We thank Joe Delphy for letting TAF be a part of his life and his family for 23 years. We wish him all the best in his next endeavor and look forward to working with Shady Dahir on his new locations.”
Delphy stated, “I loved my time with TAF. There was no greater feeling than to own my own business and make my own decisions, which TAF allowed me to do. I got to work alongside my close friends at TAF headquarters and my fellow franchisees. There is a lot of talent in that group of people, and under the leadership of Matthew LaFone, they will achieve great things.”
The Dahir Group’s Shady Dahir stated, “When we learned Joe Delphry wanted to transition his TAF stores, it only made sense to acquire his doors. Joe was a mentor to me when we joined the TAF group. A lot of our success was supported by veteran franchisees, Joe specifically. Geographically and operationally, our stores are similar. We assured Joe that his TAF family would be given the opportunity to continue with us and that meant a lot to him. Dahir continued, “We are excited about our store count growth and, more importantly, the opportunity to make an impact in those communities. The Dahir Family will build on the legacy that Joe Delphry started in each of those neighborhoods. Joe was an instrumental part of TAF over the years, and we look forward to leading the brand to new heights in the future.”
The Athlete’s Foot has 550 stores and e-commerce shops in more than 30 countries. Its global headquarters is located in Stans, Switzerland and Atlanta, GA.
