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.

Snippity snap, New Era Snapbacks are back!

Snap, snap, snap!  Can you hear it?  Can you hear the sound of Snapbacks in the building?!?

They've arrived.  New Era Snapback hats have arrived!  The last time we had snapback hats, we blew threw them.  They're back, but who knows how long they'll last.  If you're one of the many who have been asking for New Era Snapback hats, get your hands on them while you can. 

The latest selection of styles include MLB New Era Snapbacks, NHL New Era Snapbacks and NBA New Era Snapbacks.  We will continue to get additional teams onto the website in the coming days so stay tuned.  Also look for additional styles in the next few weeks. 

Hats are so much better than chocolate!

Love is in the air!  Whether you're lovingly gazing into the eyes of someone special, drinking martinis with the girls to celebrate being single or buying chocolate on the cheap because VDay candy is now on sale, we've got a proposition for everyone.  Today is the day to fall in love...with a new hat!  Did we mention that we'll give you 25% off because we LOVE you!  Start falling in love today!

 

FRESH Check: The Boys of Entourage Return

The HBO Hit series Entourage makes a triumphant return to TV, with Sunday nights finally regaining some excitement ahead of another long work week.  As many are anxious to see where Vince’s career has taken him or how the wedding planning is going for E and Sloan, Lids is pumped to see what fresh hats the boys will be showcasing in the much anticipated 7^th season.

At the beginning, Turtle was the main attraction, as he always sported a different fresh fitted hat to match the latest pair of Nikes he was rocking while cruising around Los Angeles with Vince.  Although Turtle still rocks the occasional New York Yankees fitted hat, he switched up his game this past season and was often seen sporting a variety of Kangol hats.

E and Johnny Drama have also been spotted trying to ‘up’ their respective hat games.  E shows his love for his native New York by sporting various New York Islanders hats, as a dedication to his beloved hometown hockey team. When Johnny Drama wasn’t wearing the infamous Viking helmet from his role as Tarvold, the star of “Viking Quest”, he has been seen in various Fedoras and other fashion hats while lounging with his mega star younger brother.

Tune into HBO this Sunday night at 10:30 PM EST for the season premiere of Entourage to see if Turtle is repping his hometown New York Knicks hat or staying classy with a Kangol Ivy. Stay up-to-date on all the current hat sightings and releases by checking in daily with the Lids Blog. Also make sure to stop by a local Lids Retail Store or online at Lids.com to pick up any of the latest styles that “Gatsby and the Funky Bunch” are seen wearing in the newest season of Entourage.

Hat Care and Hat Cleaning Tips

We've been receiving more and more questions about how to care for your caps.  We know your fresh cap isn't nearly as fresh when a huge dirt or sweat stain captures the attention of bystanders.  When your cap goes from a little worn to "warning this hat is dirty and smelly," it's time to give your hat a bath.

Here are a few of our Hat Care and Hat Cleaning tips:

1.  Protect your hat from the very beginning with Water and Stain Repellent.  This product helps water bead up and roll right off your cap.  It also repels dirt and sweat from absorbing into your hat.

2.  When you're ready to give your hat a bath, you'll want to take note of the material.  Wool caps will shrink a bit with water (or sweat for that matter) so dry cleaning is your best bet for 100% wool hats--unless your head has shrunk too.  Most cotton, polyester and cotton/polyester blends will be okay to wash in the dishwasher or washing machine.

3.  To begin the washing process, spray your dirty hat with Cap Cleaner and Deodorizer and let sit for 10-15 minutes.  Next, wet your cap with water and gently scrub with a clean dry sponge or brush.  Rinse.

4.  Finally, wash your cap in the top rack of your dishwasher (do NOT use dish washing detergent!) or launder in a washing machine on a delicate cycle.  Gentle laundry detergent can help get out difficult stains (like Woolite), but always test for colorfast.  Remove and let air dry.  Use the Ball Cap Buddy to help your hat keep its shape while washing.  Like all laundry you do, pay attention to the water temperature.  Hot water can shrink your hat. 

5.  If your hat is beyond help, just visit your local LIDS location or stop by lids.com to pick up a clean cap :)

We hope these hat care and hat cleaning tips have helped.  Please feel free to leave questions or comments.  Thanks for stopping by the LIDS Blog!

Sportin' the Blues - LIDS Club

The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Deputy Commissioner, Bill Daly, has the blues.  Seen proudly representing the LIDS Club at a recent Toronto Maple Leafs game, Daly pulled his card from his wallet to show a LIDS representative. Daly is in, ARE YOU?

Visit any one of our LIDS locations to join the club, or check out lids.com for more information on how to join, use and save!

  

NHL Hats and Free Canadian Shipping Offer

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are well underway and lids.ca has a great selection of new NHL hats!

 

For a limited time our Canadian customers can receive FREE ground shipping on any regular priced NHL hat or apparel order from lids.ca.  Just enter sales code LIDSNHL during checkout.  This offer cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts and expires at 11:59pm EST on the 26^th.

Check out all the NHL hats and apparel now and support your favorite team as they play for the cup!

LIDS Now Offers International Shipping

We are continually trying to improve our selection and services by listening to your suggestions.  One of the most frequent comments we receive is that we should ship to other countries.  As a result, we recently enhanced our online shopping experience for Canadian shoppers by launching lids.ca.  In addition, we are pleased to announce that we have taken another step to offer awesome hats around the globe! 

Introducing...(drum roll, please)...International Shipping at LIDS!  We have partnered with a trusted third-party company to fulfill orders for our international customers. The items in your cart will automatically be transferred into an iShopUSA cart where you may pay with international credit cards, PayPal and bank wire transfers. iShopUSA will process your payment and guarantee delivery.

Check out the steps below to find out how you can get your hands on hats--no matter where you're at!

Step 1: Shop lids.com and find your killer hat!  Select your size and add it to your cart. 

Step 2:  When you're ready to checkout, select the gray International Checkout button (just below the red Secure Checkout button).

Step 3:  After clicking the green Proceed to iShopUSA button, the items in your cart will be transferred to your iShopUSA cart.  Upon clicking this button, you will be leaving lids.com.

Step 4: Continue checking out through iShopUSA.  You will be given the option to select your currency and add in your shipping information.

 

Lids Black Friday Midnight Madness Super Sale

Lids Black Friday Midnight Madness Super Sale...woah, that is a long title.  Lucky for you though, that long title means lots of savings!

Select Lids/Hat World/Hat Shack stores will open at midnight on Black Friday to offer an added convenience for those looking to score some great deals. Stop by any of these participating Midnight Madness Super Sale stores to experience the Super Sale on Black Friday at midnight. Details of the sale are below:

• Marked down headwear will be adjusted to only $5!
• New Era fitted caps that were previously $15 and $20 will be adjusted to only $10!
• New Era fitted caps that were previously $25 will be adjusted to only $15!
• Marked down apparel will be adjusted to only $10!

*See store for details. Super Sale excludes Ed Hardy merchandise.

In addition to the Super Sale on marked down merchandise, Lids will be offering Super BOGO. Buy One, Get One half off! This includes most New Era fitted caps and branded action hats. Typically, our fitted fashion caps and branded hats are excluded from BOGO, but not for this very special day. Stop by Lids/Hat World/Hat Shack to stock up on killer caps for a fraction of the price with Super BOGO!

View Participating Midnight Madness Stores Here

*See store for details. Offers may vary between stores.

Super Bogo: Save Big with a Lids Discount

We all like to save money and during the holiday season, we especially like to stretch our dollar.  Soooo, in true holiday spirit we're taking a cue from Santa and fattening up BOGO to Super BOGO. 

Those of you who frequent Lids often may be familiar with our amazing BOGO specials--Buy One, Get One half off!  It is great sale that allows you to load up on killer caps for a fraction of the price.  However, for a limited time only (until November 29th to be exact), we are expanding BOGO to almost every cap--including most fitted caps and branded action hats.  Typically, our fitted fashion caps and branded hats are excluded from BOGO, but not on Super BOGO!  

Visit lids.com or lids.ca to get your holiday shopping started without the hassle.  With Super BOGO, you can even afford to give yourself a nice little gift!

*Canadian and US store BOGO sales may vary.  See store for details.  

Lids.ca is Now Open!

Many of our Canadian customers have been waiting a long time for a Lids Canadian website.  Well, my friends, the wait is over!  We are excited to announce the introduction of lids.ca!  We are pumped to offer this additional convenience for all of our hat-loving Canadians, eh!

Lids.ca will look and feel like the current Lids website; however, you'll notice a few great features that we hope will make your life easier.  

• Lids.ca displays pricing in Canadian dollars--no need for your currency converter here.
• Lids.ca offers FREE shipping to your local Canadian store.  Simply order online and choose which store you'd like to pick your order up.  We'll ship it to your local store at no cost to you and an associate will contact you when your order has arrived.
• Lids.ca rewards you with FREE ground shipping when you purchase $60 or more. 
• Lids.ca is DUTY FREE! All orders are shipped from our Canadian Distribution Center so no duty will be charged to your order.

While lids.ca offers many great new features for our Canadian customers, you'll still see the latest and greatest assortment of hats and caps and superior customer service that you've come to expect.  We're dedicated to bringing you Your Team, Your Style, Your Size!

Check out lids.ca and leave us a comment on your thoughts.  Thanks to all of our loyal customers, wherever you may be.

Whalers Hat - Remember the Whale

Growing up in Connecticut during the 90s, I was a huge Hartford Whalers fan.  Unfortunately for Whaler fans, our favorite hockey team moved south to North Carolina and became the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997.  Besides watching some old Kevin Smith movies or popping in NHL '94 on SNES, remembering the Whale has been a tough go over the past ten plus years since there wasn't much officially released Whaler apparel from the NHL.

But this past summer, Connecticut's trademark on the Whalers expired and the NHL has started to expand the selection.  Whalers jerseys are even making their return in video game land as an alternate uniform on the NHL 2K10. 

Lids recently added some new Hartford Whalers hats, so there are more styles to buy.  My personal favorite Whaler hat is this 59Fifty fitted dogear hat from New Era.  It's great for those cold New England winters.  I also like this classic easy fitted Franchise Whalers baseball cap when it's not so frigid. 

   

Check out this great selection of Hartford Whalers hats and caps at Lids now and help Remember the Whale!