WITH LIDS, PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN BRINGS ITS EUROPEAN STORES INTO A NEW DIMENSION

Expansion Follows the Success of Paris Saint-Germain's Los Angeles and New York Flagship Store Grand Openings, operated by Lids

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 10-time French league winner Paris Saint-Germain today announced it is expanding its partnership with Fanatics and global leading sport retailer Lids. As part of the Club's ongoing partnership, Paris Saint-Germain will entrust Lids, which is part owned by Fanatics, to oversee operations for the Club's European locations to create a unique and consistent retail experience in Europe and North America for sports fans and fashion enthusiasts alike.

Following the successful opening of the Fanatics and Lids-operated PSG debut permanent store in Los Angeles in 2021, and flagship store opening on New York's highly coveted 5th Avenue in early 2022, the partnership will now expand to Europe, with Lids set to manage operations for the two stores and new Club locations.

The Paris Saint-Germain stores in Europe will feature the Club's concept with the full and exclusive range including team jerseys, headwear, accessories, fashion collections, and exclusive product per location.

Those stores will also include customization stations, a signature feature available in most Lids retail stores, where consumers can customize their Rouge & Bleu products on-site. "We are looking forward to continuing this successful partnership with a club as iconic as Paris Saint-Germain," said Lawrence Berger, Co-Founder and Partner at Ames Watson, owner of Lids, and Chairman of FanzzLids Holdings. "This latest expansion allows us to bring our unparalleled in-store experience to the PSG brand in Europe, while providing new retail capabilities and shopping opportunities to the market."

"This strategic alliance with Lids is an important step for the club, which is one of the few international clubs to have so many stores of its own internationally," added Fabian Allègre Brand Director at Paris Saint-Germain. "The opening of this new chapter will allow us to address the European market with a partner who is a pure player in retail. Our ambition is great and it was essential to structure ourselves to meet the growing demand of our fans by providing them with our own retail experience."

The whole Paris Saint-Germain's universe will be at its fan's fingertips. Also, this latest expansion will broaden Lids' already prominent brick-and-mortar footprint as the retailer plans to continue scaling globally, together with the fastest growing value football club.

Paris Saint-Germain was founded in 1970 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020. Since its takeover by QSI in 2011, Paris Saint-Germain has gone on to become one of the world's top football clubs and sports brands. The club has won 29 trophies in the last 11 years and 47 since its foundation, making it the most successful in France, and has attracted many great players over the years, including Ronaldinho, David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and latterly Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappé, three of the best players in the world today. The club's international popularity knows no bounds. In the last ten years, its community of social media followers has grown from zero to nearly 170 million and is now one of the largest in football. A forward-thinking club, Paris Saint-Germain added an eSports team to its men's football, women's football, handball, and judo teams in 2016. Committed to giving something back to the community, the club has significantly increased funding for its Foundation with the aim of developing far-reaching programmes for disadvantaged young people.

Fanatics, Inc is the ultimate one-stop sports fan destination that ignites and harnesses the passion of fans and maximises the presence and reach for preeminent sports partners globally. Leveraging long-standing relationships with more than 900 sport properties, a database of more than 80 million consumers worldwide and a trusted brand name, Fanatics is furthering its innovation across the sports landscape by building the leading global digital sports platform, complete with offerings including licensed merchandise, trading cards and collectibles, digital collectibles and NFTs and online gambling and gaming.

Lids Sports Group is the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, selling fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the North America, Europe and Australia through over 2,000 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.

SOURCE Lids