‘Billion dollar brand’: Kids Foot Locker’s Jill Feldman on the retailer’s ambitions

Kids Foot Locker has big plans to be the number one shoe retailer for kids. According to Jill Feldman, the vp and general manager of Kids Foot Locker, she aims to make it a billion-dollar brand. “That’s not quite doubling [where it is now],” she said on the Modern Retail Podcast, “but we have had really big momentum recently.” There are a few major things Feldman is focusing on: for one, expansion. That includes expanding the product selection, but also Kids Foot Locker’s retail footprint. “We actually are planning on expanding our store base, which I know is a little bit unusual in retail right now,' she said. Part of that mandate is finding the best new locations, she explained, while also diversifying away from older spaces like malls. “We’re finding ways to really become embedded in the neighborhoods where our customers live,” she said. But physical expansion is only a small part of her focus. Feldman is working on revamping the entire in-store experience, as well as continue forging unique brand partnerships. Her team is “coming up with amazing collaborations between [companies like] a food brand or sometimes toy brands,” she said. All of these endeavors are aimed at targeting Kids Foot Locker’s core customers: sneakerheads. For the most part, that title is often thought of as a certain type of (often male) hype beast. But, according to Feldman, “we have a young generation of sneakerheads as well.” With this, the hope is to continue growing the Kids Foot Locker brand -- both in customers, revenue and stores. “It’s one of the fastest-growing banners in all of Foot Locker,” she said.