LIDS Hat Blog

RELEASE: LIDS Sports Group to Acquire Retail Stores from Fanatics, Inc.

FansEdge and Football Fanatics retail locations in Chicago, Jacksonville and Oklahoma markets to be rebranded under the Locker Room by LIDS retail banner

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., October 31, 2012 – The LIDS retail division, a multi-channel business unit of Indianapolis-based LIDS Sports Group, has reached an agreement with Florida-based Fanatics, Inc. to purchase 12 brick-and-mortar retail stores, comprised of nine FansEdge locations in the Greater Chicago area as well as one in Oklahoma and two Football Fanatics in Jacksonville, Fla.

Through this agreement the locations will be rebranded under the Locker Room by LIDS retail banner, to include region-specific storefronts such as Chicago Locker Room and Oklahoma Locker Room.  “We continue to look for opportunities to expand the LIDS brand, and this acquisition allows us the opportunity to align these new additions – which are positioned in great sports communities – with our evolving sports apparel retail concepts,” said LIDS Sports Group President Ken Kocher.

ABOUT LIDS SPORTS GROUP
The LIDS Sports Group, operating within Hat World, Inc., is comprised of the LIDS retail headwear stores, the LIDS Locker Room specialty fan retail chain, the LIDS Clubhouse retail stores, the LIDS Team Sports wholesale team sports business, and the Internet businesses www.lids.com, www.lidslockerroom.com, wwwlidsclubhouse.com, www.lidsteamsports.com and www.lids.ca. Operating out of Indianapolis, Indiana, the retail businesses make up more than 1,000 mall-based, airport, street level and factory outlet locations nationwide, and in Canada and Puerto Rico. LIDS retail stores offer officially licensed and branded headwear of collegiate teams, major professional sports teams, as well as other specialty fashion categories in the latest styles and colors. LIDS Locker Room is a mall-based retailer of sports headwear, apparel, accessories, and novelties which also operates under the Sports Fan-Attic and Sports Avenue retail concepts. Most LIDS and LIDS Locker Room stores also offer custom embroidery capability. LIDS Clubhouse operates team-specific professional sports and university athletics retail stores and e-commerce sites. LIDS Team Sports is a full-service team uniform and apparel dealer, custom screen printer, embroidery and sporting goods distributor. Hat World, Inc. is a subsidiary of Genesco Inc.

“In our mission to establish the LIDS brand as a one-stop shop for the fan, participant or both, this agreement offers LIDS Sports Group the chance to further expose the many other layers of our business to sports enthusiasts who are predominately only familiar with our headwear side,” said Kocher.

The LIDS Sports Group retail division will introduce its Custom Zone in-store customization capabilities to the recently acquired locations, which will carry an assortment of local and regional product offerings of officially licensed apparel and merchandise.  Customers will also be able to take advantage of the company’s gift card and LIDS Club loyalty card programs at each location.

LIDS Club House Video | Licensed Apparel

 

LIDS Clubhouse is a diverse, all-inclusive, industry leading team merchandising company for more than 25 professional sports team and organizations, and collegiate athletic programs. LIDS Clubhouse operates storefronts, e-commerce, and retail for game-day concessions and special events. Operating out of Indianapolis, Indiana, as a division of LIDS Sports Group, LIDS Clubhouse properties offer officially licensed sports apparel including team-specific headwear, apparel, accessories and novelties in the latest styles and colors. Some locations also offer custom embroidery capability.

LIDS Clubhouse began as Sports Avenue in 1986. Sports Avenue grew to become an industry leader in overall team shop development and licensed team merchandising, and joined forces with LIDS Sports Group in 2010. LIDS Sports Group operates within Hat World, Inc. which is a subsidiary of Genesco Inc.

Learn how LIDS is dedicated to expanding league and team recognition and how your brand can be represented through the Lids Clubhouse.

How to Protect and Clean a Hat | Hat Care

 

There are three basic concerns when washing baseball caps:

1. Washing will change the shape of the cap.

2. Washing will wreck the brim of the cap.

3. Shrinkage of the cap.

To learn how to protect and clean your hat, while preventling the three main concerns above, check out this video! 

Start with the LIDS Water & Stain Repellent. This protective spray penetrates deeply to repel water, dirt, sweat, and other causes of hat stains. Special conditioning emollients keep fabrics and leathers soft and allow caps to breathe so your head stays dry. It contains no ozone depleting CFCs, will not discolor or stain fabric, and is odorless when dry.

We want to know...How do you keep your caps fresh? Tweet us @lids4hats and tell us your secrets to keeping your hats looking clean!

LIDS Locker Room | Video

LIDS Locker Room is the place to be for sports fans. We have an extensive selection of collectibles such as bobble heads, coozies, house flags, jewelry and much more! Whether you are looking for a fun way to show your team spirit or shopping for a crazy sports fan, shop LIDS Locker Room for all your sports collectibles. With sports memorabilia for a wide selection of teams and leagues from NBA to NFL, to name a few, where else would you go but LIDS Locker Room. LIDS provides this video to give the sports fan in you an overview of just what exactly LIDS Locker Room has to offer.

How to Store a Hat | Hat Care

 

LIDS wearers take pride in how their hats look, and part of keeping that look is knowing how to store your hat. LIDS can help! This instructional video shows not only how to store your hat, but also useful products such as the LIDS Cap Collector that will help you store them anywhere from the back of your door, to hanging from your ceiling.  Got any ideas for other "Hat-Fanatics" like yourself on how to best store cap collections?  Leave a comment below or tweet us @lids4hats with your ideas!

How to Size Hats | Lids.com

One of the questions posed to LIDS employees on a daily basis is how to size a hat. As a result, we've developed a detailed video that will finally answer all your questions. Check out the following informational video that teaches you how to size your hat...It will ensure you always get your hat size just right. Make sure you've got your measuring tape!

LIDS Foundation Video

The LIDS foundation is the official charitable organization of LIDS Sports Group.  The idea of charity is not a new one within the LIDS Sports Group family. In fact, the development of the LIDS Foundation was a natural extension of what many of the Company's employees were already doing: giving back to their local communities and helping to support those in need. Through this charitable arm of LIDS Sports Group, employees now have the ability to pool together their resources on a greater scale to create synergies that will make an even more significant impact.

The primary focus of the LIDS Foundation will be to improve the lives of young people in the communities in which LIDS Sports Group operates. This will initially be done through offering resources to non-profit organizations or events whose goals align with the LIDS Foundation - those supporting healthy and active lifestyle programs.

"We are ecstatic to be embarking on this exciting philanthropic journey," says LIDS Foundation Sr. Coordinator and Committee member, Gita Young. It is our hope that you will join us as we begin to seek opportunities that match the LIDS Foundation's mission to better our communities, one opportunity at a time!