Eastbay

US sporting goods retailer

This article is about the sporting goods company. For the region in Northern California, see East Bay. For other uses, see East Bay (disambiguation).

Eastbay

Company type| Subsidiary of Foot Locker
Industry| Direct mail catalog and internet supplier of athletic footwear & apparel.
Founded| 1980; 45 years ago (1980)
Founders|

* Richard Gering
* Art Juedes

Defunct| 2023 (2023)
Fate| Merged into Champs Sports
Headquarters|

Wausau, Wisconsin

United States

Website| www.eastbay.com

Eastbay was an American supplier of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment, selling through direct mail and the internet. In 1997, it became a subsidiary of the F. W. Woolworth Company, later known as Foot Locker, Inc.

## History

[edit]

The company was founded in 1980 by Richard Gering and Art Juedes. With about $7,000 worth of running shoes, they set up shoe clinics near their hometown of Wausau, Wisconsin. At each stop they sold their shoes and provided price lists.[1]

In 1983, they developed a catalog for track and field and baseball shoes. In 1988, phone operators were hired to take orders. In 1989, the company began a team sales division and the following year, created and produced its first in-house team sales catalog. At the time Eastbay's call center, shipping and creative departments occupied just under one city block.

Eastbay established its own clothing brand in 1990, offering jackets, pants, shorts, underwear, socks and tops in various sports teams' colors and styles, with the Eastbay logo.

On September 29, 1995, Eastbay made an initial public offering on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Two years later, shareholders sold the company to F. W. Woolworth Company.

In July 1997, Eastbay moved its downtown corporate operation and retail store to a larger space on Wausau's near-west side. Three months later, it combined the shipping department and various warehouses into a new 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) distribution center on the outskirts of Wausau. In March 1998, Eastbay converted its marketing website into an e-commerce site. Two additional call centers were subsequently opened in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Juedes and Gering retired on June 30, 1999.

Eastbay's parent company, F.W. Woolworth Company, also underwent a major revision, being reorganized as Venator Group in 1997 and changing its name in 2001 to Foot Locker, Inc.[2]

In 2022, Foot Locker announced that Eastbay and its distribution center in Wausau would permanently close during the first half of 2023, resulting in 210 layoffs.[3][4] The Eastbay website was shut down and merged into the Champs Sports banner on January 13, 2023.[5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Woike, Dan (14 February 2019). "Eastbay catalog memories: It's where a generation went to look at sneakers — and dream". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
2. ^ Butler-Young, Sheena (2019-03-28). "These Are Foot Locker's Biggest Plans for the Next Five Years". Footwear News. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
3. ^ Mentzer, Rob (2022-10-21). "210 to be laid off in Wausau as Foot Locker closes longtime central Wisconsin sneaker distribution center". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
4. ^ Borchert, Hannah (19 October 2022). "Eastbay's permanent closure will leave 210 out a job". www.wsaw.com. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
5. ^ Salpini, Cara (2023-01-03). "Eastbay website to shut down". Retail Dive. Retrieved 2023-03-05.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

F. W. Woolworth Company—Foot Locker

Company|

* F. W. Woolworth Company
* Champs Sports
* Eastbay
* Foot Locker
* Kinney Shoes
* Woolco
* Claire's
* Afterthoughts
* Other divisions and namesakes

Buildings|

* List of Woolworth buildings
* Woolworth Building
* St. Louis Office
* Shadow Lawn
* Columbus Store
* Evansville Store
* Kansas City Store
* Broadway, Los Angeles Store
* Hollywood, Los Angeles Store
* Lexington Store
* Renton Store
* San Diego Store
* Watertown Store
* Wilmington Store
* Winfield Hall
* Winfield House

Culture|

* "Love at the Five and Dime"
* Seafoam salad
* Woolworth v. Contemporary Arts

Events|

* Foot Locker Cross Country

Civil rights|

* Greensboro sit-ins
* Ezell Blair Jr.
* Franklin McCain
* Joseph McNeil
* David Richmond
* International Civil Rights Center and Museum
* February One
* Clarence Harris
* Lexington Woolworths
* Nashville sit-ins

Family|

* Frank Winfield Woolworth
* Barbara Hutton
* Poor Little Rich Girl
* Lance Reventlow
* Seymour H. Knox I

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