Dive Brief:

• Foot Locker Inc. CEO Ken Hicks is stepping down, and COO Richard Johnson will take his place Dec. 1, the company has announced.

• Hicks will stay on as executive chairman until May to aid in the transition.

• Hicks joined Foot Locker in 2009 and is credited with reviving its fortunes fairly quickly.

Dive Insight:

Ken Hicks left J.C. Penney for Foot Locker at a time when then-CEO Mike Ullman delayed his retirement plans. At the time Foot Locker was flagging, but Hicks took charge with a plan to tighten the company’s budget through store closings and other efficiencies. With athletic footwear in resurgence, the chain is doing well. But Richard Johnson will have the task of better integrating the retailer’s online operations with its stores, and of bringing the retailer's game to the hot and expanding activewear space, beyond shoes.