Lids (store)

Lids or Hat World, Inc. is an American retailer specializing in athletic headwear. It primarily operates under the Lids brand with stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom plus various websites. The majority of the stores operate in shopping malls and factory outlet centers.[1][2]

Lids (Hat World, Inc.)
Lids Sports Group
TypeSubsidiary
Industry
  • Retailer
  • Full Service Team Dealer
  • Custom Screen Printer
  • Embroidery
  • Sporting Goods Operator
Founded1993 (Lids)
1995 (Hat World)
Headquarters
Indianapolis, Indiana
,
US
Number of locations
1131
Area served
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Puerto Rico
  • United Kingdom
  • Australia
Key people
  • Reilly Mulligan (CEO of Lids)
  • George Berger (co-founder, original Chairman and executive of Hat World, Inc.), Glenn Campbell (co-founder and executive of Hat World, Inc.), Scott Molander(co-founder and executive of Hat World, Inc.) Conner White (co-founder of Lids)
  • Ben Fischman (co-founder of Lids)
  • Douglass Karp (co-founder of Lids)
  • Meek Mill (co-owner)
Ken Wilson (DSM Central PA)
Products
Parent
  • Genesco (2004–2018)
  • Ames Watson Capital LLC (2018–present)
DivisionsLids Locker Room, Lids Clubhouse
Website

History

Lids Corp. was founded in Boston by best friends Douglass Karp (son of real estate developer Stephen R. Karp) and Ben Fischman (son of real estate developer Steven Fischman) in 1993.[3][4] Hat World, Inc. was founded in 1995 by George Berger, Glenn Campbell and Scott Molander, with its headquarters office in Sioux Falls, SD. Hat World's first store opened on November 3, 1995 in the Tippecanoe Mall in Lafayette, Indiana.[5] The second store opened at Muncie Mall[6] in Muncie,[7] Indiana.[8] The company's operations and warehouse were located in Indianapolis. The administrative headquarters was later moved from Sioux Falls to Indianapolis. The original Lids Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001 and certain Lids stores, the tradename/trademark and other assets were acquired by Hat World,Inc., which subsequently changed its store names from "Hat World" to "Lids."

Hat World, Inc. (dba the new "Lids") was acquired in April 2004 by footwear retailer Genesco Inc.[9] In 2019 Genesco sold Hat World/Lids to a joint venture between Ames Watson, LLC and Fanatics, Inc.[10] Also in 2019, rapper Meek Mill acquired an ownership stake.[11]

References
  1. "Lids - Company Information". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  2. "Genesco Inc. - Lids". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  3. Lilliefors, Jim (September 1, 2009). Ball Cap Nation: A Journey Through the World of America's National Hat. Clerisy Press. pp. 102–110. ISBN 9781578604111.
  4. Schwartz, Jason (March 23, 2009). "It's Much, Much More Than Just a Hat". Boston Magazine.
  5. Ketzenberger, John (27 December 2004). "2004 Top Stories & Newsmakers: Outside companies snag high-profile loals". Indianapolis Business Journal. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013.
  6. "Muncie Mall", Wikipedia, 2020-08-08, retrieved 2020-09-20
  7. "Muncie, Indiana", Wikipedia, 2020-08-22, retrieved 2020-09-20
  8. "Indiana", Wikipedia, 2020-09-14, retrieved 2020-09-20
  9. "Genesco Completes Hat Shack, Inc. Acquisition" (Press release). Genesco Inc. 2004-04-02. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  10. "Ames Watson acquires Lids Sports Group".
  11. "Meek Mill Becomes Co-Owner of Lids | SGB Media Online". 26 June 2019.


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