Suffolk Athlete’s Foot store changes hands
Published 7:44 pm Friday, August 12, 2022
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Joe Delphry, a franchisee for The Athlete’s Foot footwear and apparel chain since 1999, is transitioning his seven stores, including one on Main Street in Suffolk, to The Dahir Group.
Dahir took over Delphry’s stores in Atlanta, Charleston, South Carolina, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Portsmouth and Newport News, in addition to Suffolk, on July 1.
“We thank Joe Delphy for letting TAF be a part of his life and his family for 23 years,” said Matthew LaFone, the company’s president and general manager of Americas. “We wish him all the best in his next endeavor and look forward to working with Shady Dahir on his new locations.”
Delphy said he “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,” he added. “There is a lot of talent in that group of people, and under the leadership of Matthew LaFone, they will achieve great things.”
Delphy went on to thank TAF for the opportunity to design his own life, which allowed him to raise his family and provide them with a certain lifestyle that would not have been possible otherwise.
“Being a franchise owner gave me the freedom to never miss a soccer game, a school play or a family vacation,” he said. “I am looking forward to the next step in my professional journey and am thrilled Shady Dahir is expanding his TAF footprint.”
Shady Dahir said Delphy built a solid foundation for success.
“When we learned Joe Delphry wanted to transition his TAF stores, it only made sense to acquire his doors,” Dahir said. “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.”