Lids Announces Partnerships With Designer Brands to Bring Licensed Sports Product to its Canadian Stores, Expand Footprint in Canada

INDIANPOLIS, April 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading sports retailer Lids is partnering with Designer Brands, Inc. (NYSE: DBI), one of North America's largest designers, producers and retailers of footwear and accessories, to bring licensed sports product to its stores in Canada for the first time, it was announced today.

With this new partnership, Lids, which currently boasts 130 storefronts throughout Canada, will have shop-in-shop concept stores coast to coast in 45 Canadian locations of DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) and The Shoe Company, including Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. These shop-in-shop formats will range from impactful headwear displays to mini shops that include licensed jerseys.

"At Lids, we're always looking for new ways to bring our unparalleled assortment of licensed sports apparel and headwear to more customers," said Lawrence Berger, co-founder and partner at Ames Watson and Chairman of FanzzLids Holdings which is the owner of Lids. "Designer Brands offers a one-stop-shop for footwear and accessory needs and we're looking forward to complementing that with Lids' diverse offerings to better serve Canadian customers."

Product will primarily include licensed headwear and jerseys, with an emphasis on gear representing top Canadian sports teams including the Maple Leafs, Oilers, Raptors, and the Blue Jays . Product assortment will include a variety of branded hats plus a robust team mix of licensed headwear. This new partnership also encompasses online sales with Lids product available on each store's respective website – dsw.ca and theshoecompany.ca – moving forward.

"We are thrilled to partner with Lids on the roll-out of store-in-store boutiques offering licensed sports merchandise to local fan communities across the country," said Mary Turner, President of Designer Brands Operations in Canada. "We believe that Lids' merchandise provides great synergies with our growing athletics assortments while allowing us to tap into a younger customer demographic."  

The announcement with Designer Brands follows a breakout year for Lids that saw the company add 70 stores during the COVID pandemic and cement an international expansion agreement with the NBA. Lids continues to be the largest headwear retailer in North America, with over 28 million sold per year across their 1,200 locations. Beyond hats, Lids is the largest brick and mortar retailer of licensed sports product in North America and has a fast-growing non-sports branded business.

The first in-store shop-in-shop concept between Lids and Designer Brands will launch on May 15 along with the online assortment.

Media Contact
Laura Kepus (Lids): [email protected]

About Lids
Lids Sports Group is the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, selling fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico through over 1,200 retail locations. Indianapolis-based Lids Sports Group carries officially licensed and branded gear aimed at empowering customers to represent their unique and individual style, team, passion and fun. Lids Sports Group operates stores under the Lids, Locker Room by Lids, Fanzz, Yankees Clubhouse Shops, Dodgers Clubhouse, Cardinals Clubhouse, and numerous other nameplates. Lids also has locations within select Macy's department stores nationwide. To find a retail location near you visit blog.lids.com or join the #LidsLoyal on Instagram (@lids), Facebook (@lids), Twitter (@lids), or LinkedIn.

About Designer Brands
Designer Brands is one of North America's largest designers, producers and retailers of footwear and accessories. The Company operates a portfolio of retail concepts in nearly 700 locations under the DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse^®, The Shoe Company^® and Shoe Warehouse^® banners. The Company designs and produces footwear and accessories through Camuto Group, a leading manufacturer selling in more than 5,400 stores worldwide. Camuto Group owns licensing rights for the Jessica Simpson^® footwear business and footwear and handbag licenses for Lucky Brand^®. In partnership with a joint venture with Authentic Brands Group, the Company also owns a stake in Vince Camuto^®, Louise et Cie^®, and others. More information can be found at www.designerbrands.com.

SOURCE Lids