Robert J. Corliss, the American sporting goods industry veteran who owned and ran for many years The Athlete's Foot, a big international chain of franchised athletic footwear shops, has been appointed to replace Mike McTigh next Sept. 1 as chairman of JJB Sports, the struggling British sporting goods retail chain. McTigh's resignation comes after a drop of more than 25 percent in JJB's share price, following a recent new profit warning. The company said it had suffered an 8 percent drop in its sales on a same-store basis for the 22 weeks ended last July 1 because of bad weather and the poor performance of the England team in the Euro football championships. Corliss' appointment is evidently related to last April's investment in JJB by Dick's Sporting Goods, the second-largest sporting goods retail chain in the U.S. after Foot Locker. Corliss sold The Athlete's Foot to NexCen Brands in 2006. He was for a while the owner and chief executive of another U.S. chain, Herman's Sporting Goods.

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