Footstar is one of the leading footwear retailers in the discount and family footwear sector, with its headquarters in Mahwah, N.J. Footstar became an independent, publicly held company as a result of a spin-off of footwear operations from Melville Corporation, in 1996. It offers a broad assortment of discount and family footwear through licensed footwear departments operated by Meldisco. Footstar operates more than 2,500 Meldisco licensed footwear departments in Kmart and Rite Aid stores. The company also distributes, on a wholesale basis, its own Thom McAn brand of quality leather footwear to Wal-Mart and Shoe Zone stores. Footstar's product development and sourcing is taken care of by Footstar Global Sourcing, and this group manages the process from design and production to quality control and shipment.