Lids unveils new retail concept, Lids Hat Drop

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Dec 12, 2022

Sports retailer Lids unveiled on Friday a new retail concept inspired by the brand’s online Lids Hat Drop platform that launched earlier this year.

The first Lids Hat Drop store opens in Jamaica, Queens, New York and will operate similarly to its e-commerce counterpart, offering exclusive and limited-edition releases, including athlete, celebrity, influencer and designer collaborations. 

At the Lids Hat Drop store, consumers will have first access to purchase exclusive hat drops beginning at 11:00 am ET each Friday, before the collection goes live on the ecommerce platform at 12:00 pm ET that same day. 

There will be 'Queens Store Exclusives' that are only available in this location. Likewise, in store, customers will find Lids' signature 'Custom Zones', which allow consumers the opportunity to custom-embroider a product of their choice in-store.

One of the first major hat releases, MLB Season's Greetings 59FIFTY, will feature holiday-themed motifs, while the store will also include Mitchell & Ness MLB and NBA Jerseys, Ebbets Field Flannels (EFF) products, and much more.

"After visiting Jamaica, Queens in 2021, it was clear that the location was ideal for our first brick & mortar Lids Hat Drop," said Britten Maughan, president of Lids. 

"The area is known by headwear enthusiasts as the hat mecca of the U.S., so the location allows Lids to lean into hat culture while continuing to drive trends through our exclusive releases. We've seen huge success with LidsHatDrop.com but Lids is a brick-and-mortar retailer at its core, and this concept is yet another step in our strategy to lead the conversation and become even more engrained in the hat community.”

Lids has been expanding its brick-and-mortar footprint via several new store concepts, and currently operates over 1,500 stores throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. In July, it unveiled its collegiate product focused retail concept, Lids University (Lids U). It also operates Locker Room by Lids and team-specific stores such as Yankees Clubhouse and Dodgers Clubhouse. 

Lids also counts the National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA), and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) as partners as it runs several of each league and team's respective U.S. and international Flagship store locations.