Runner Sports Tempe and Scottsdale, Arizona

Tempe, Arizona—Road Runner Sports is running with an aggressive retail expansion plan into Arizona. The national retailer of running shoes, apparel and gear will open its two newest stores in Tempe and Scottsdale, AZ, in November. The two new stores, expected to house 5000 to 7000 square feet of running and walking gear from popular name brands such as Asics, New Balance, Nike, Saucony, adidas, Brooks and more, represent Road Runner Sports' first venture into the retail space in the state of Arizona.

But, in an economy when many industries are erring on the side of conservative growth, how is it that a running shoe company is in the midst of its largest retail expansion ever? Mike Gotfredson, founder and CEO of Road Runner Sports explains, "Every year, nearly two-thirds of all runners experience an injury that forces them onto the sidelines, usually because of poor-fitting running gear. We care about our customers and work to satisfy your need for perfect-fitting running shoes and gear. Our goal is to make you feel great about running and keep you injury-free today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life."

Based in San Diego, California, Road Runner Sports was established in 1983 under humble conditions as a catalog company. Gotfredson took phone orders for running shoes and shipped packages out of his garage. Despite such modest beginnings, Road Runner Sports has become a household name along the West coast, with runners of all ages shopping via catalog, website, and retail stores.

Gotfredson explains that what makes Road Runner Sports unique among other sports retailers is the passion his employees hold for running. "Our team of Fit Experts is just as passionate about the needs of the first-time runner, the fitness runner and the veteran marathon runner." Another reason Gotfredson gives for his company's success is that "Road Runner Sports is the only running store to offer the 60-Day Perfect Fit¿ Guarantee. Customers can buy a pair of running shoes, take them home and run in them for up to 60 days, and if they're not a perfect fit, you can simply exchange them for another pair."

Road Runner Sports recently unleashed "Shoe Dog", a state-of-the-art running analysis center in all of their stores nationwide. Employing the fully-customizable, five-step Shoe Dog System, Road Runner Sports Fit Experts are able to retrieve an assortment of shoes that fit perfectly with customers' individual needs.

The new Arizona stores, opening in Tempe Marketplace and The Shops at Chauncey Ranch, are the fifth and sixth Road Runner Sports stores to open in 2007 as part of an aggressive nationwide expansion plan set forth by Gotfredson over the next three years. Road Runner Sports has running store locations in Concord, Costa Mesa, Laguna Hills, San Carlos, San Diego, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, and West Hills, California; Westminster, Colorado; Naperville, Illinois; Columbia, Maryland; North Brunswick, Paramus, and Shrewsbury, New Jersey; Columbus, Ohio; Tualatin, Oregon; Falls Church, Virginia; and Kent and Seattle, Washington.