Dive Brief:

• Continuing its physical retail expansion, Lids debuted Lids Hat Drop, its new store concept in the Jamaica, Queens neighborhood of New York, on Friday, according to a press release. The format is based on the retailer’s e-commerce platform, LidsHatDrop.com, which launched earlier in the year.
• The store will offer exclusive and limited-edition product releases from noteworthy celebrity, designer, influencer and athlete collaborations. In-store shoppers will be the first to access and buy exclusive hat releases at 11 a.m. ET each Friday, an hour before the products drop online, the company said. 
• Lids commissioned local artist Timothy Goodman to create a mural within the space and also plans to offer Queens exclusive products at the location. The store will offer its Custom Zones service, where shoppers can custom-embroider their items.

Dive Insight:

Lids is debuting a physical iteration of its e-commerce site, LidsHatDrop.com, which launched earlier this year and offers twice weekly product drops. At the time of the website launch, the retailer said it planned to conduct 40 new product releases priced between $45 and $55 during the following few months. 

As part of the Queens physical store launch, Lids will also sell MLB and NBA jerseys from Mitchell & Ness and Ebbets Field Flannels products. One of the first in-store drops, MLB Season’s Greetings, will be themed to the holiday season. 

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

The Queens location is not the only store concept Lids has opened this year. In July, the company launched Lids University, which is dedicated to college sports apparel and products. The retailer said it planned to open 11 of these stores in Chicago, Atlanta, Indianapolis and other cities this year. Lids also opened four stores in London’s metropolitan area late last year, offering merchandise from NFL, NBA and MLB teams from brands like New Era Cap, Oakley and Adidas. The company now runs more than 1,500 locations in North America, Europe and Australia. 

In addition to a growing store base, Lids expanded its assortment this summer with the introduction of Explore by Lids, its first private label for children. The line debuted with bucket hats and snapbacks for kids aged four to seven years old and has designs ranging from a rocket ship and the solar system to animals and shooting stars.