The landscape of sneaker culture has changed drastically over the last decade and many of the stores, online and brick & mortar alike, that were staples early on have fallen by the wayside.
This includes Eastbay which formally shutdown last year and now Footlocker is looking to downsize in attempt to keep up with the ever-changing terrain of sneakers. According to reports, Footlocker is aiming toward shuttering nearly 400 mall-based stores by 2026 in favour of a reformatted approach at its standalone locations to transform its real estate footprint. This is all part of the company’s new “Lace Up” plan which will seek to expand sneaker offerings, reset the company’s loyalty program, and improve upon the online shopping experience.