In the News

 News

NBA Opening Official Store in Australia In Collaboration with Fanatics and Lids

In great news for basketball fans in Australia, the NBA is making it easier to get your hands on the latest gear, with multiple NBA stores opening around Australia.

In collaboration with Fanatics, the NBA today announced a multi-year partnership to open the first brick-and-mortar NBA Stores in Australia, with the first location in the Emporium in Melbourne opening in August, with a second flagship store to open in Sydney later this year.

Lids Opening New Store Concept with 12 Locations

Lids is tapping into the lucrative college sports market. The retailer of licensed and branded sportswear is opening a new concept, Lids U, dedicated to collegiate sports product and apparel. Created as a space for fans to purchase products from their favorite schools, the stores will open in key college markets.

NBA Opens Its First Store in Paris, Operated by Lids

As American tourists flock back to the streets of Paris, the NBA is setting up shop on Boulevard Saint-Michel. The American basketball association's distribution partner is opening a Parisian flagship store on the left bank of the French capital. After Milan and London, this Parisian boutique is only the third NBA store in Europe, while it has about 400 points of sale worldwide.

Lids Spotlights Emerging Black Talent with Unveil of Collaborative New Campaign

Captured by notable photographer and videographer Cam Kirk, Lids gave creative reigns to the Atlanta-based talent featured in the campaign.

Ames Watson Invests in Margaux Women’s Shoe Brand

Ames Watson, a Columbia, Md.-based private equity holding company, is the lead investor in a Class B funding round for Margaux, a women’s footwear brand.

Ames Watson lines up $250m for deals via Lids

Private equity firm Ames Watson is levering portfolio company Lids with a new $250 million term loan to finance the private equity firm's acquisitions, it said Wednesday morning.

Ames Watson joins powerhouse group of investors, including Fanatics, Jay-Z, Maverick Carter and more to buy Mitchell & Ness for $250 million

Fanatics is teaming up with rappers Jay-Z and Meek Mill and entrepreneur Maverick Carter to purchase Mitchell & Ness, maker of throwback jerseys and retro sports apparel.

US sportswear giant Lids opens first UK shops as it launches global expansion

U S sportswear giant Lids is making a leap across the Atlantic with plans for more than 100 stores across Europe. The retailer, which specialises in branded merchandise from the major American football, basketball, hockey and baseball teams, has kicked off its global expansion in London with new branches in Seven Dials and the O2’s Peninsula Square.

HUNGRY Closes $21MM Series C Round with "A-List" Backing

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- HUNGRY, one of the fastest growing food tech startups in the U.S., today announced the close of its $21 million Series C funding.

Owner of Lids acquires South Moon Under

• Fashion boutique South Moon Under is being acquired by Ames Watson, a private investment firm that acquired hat specialist Lids from Genesco in 2019.

• Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Annapolis, Maryland-based SMU currently has 30 stores spanning from Connecticut to Florida.

• In a press release, Ames Watson indicated it plans to expand the retailer. "We see a tremendous opportunity to grow a brand with high recognition into a national store with a local approach," Lawrence Berger, co-founder and partner with Ames Watson, said in the release.

Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) Creates New Partnership with Licensed Sports Merchandise Leaders Fanatics and Lids

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., JACKSONVILLE, Fla., & INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE: BNED), a leading solutions provider for the education industry, today announced it has entered into a long-term strategic omnichannel merchandising partnership with Fanatics and Lids, the two online and offline leaders in the licensed sports and emblematic merchandise category.

Meek Mill Partners with Lids Ownership Group, Plans to Unveil Exclusive Release of New Hat Line

NEW YORK, June 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, multiplatinum hip-hop artist, criminal justice reform advocate and entrepreneur Meek Mill is announcing his investment in sports apparel retailer Lids, the largest retail seller of hats (over 28 million sold per year) and licensed sports product in North America.

Bethesda firm aims to revitalize hat chain Lids

Ames Watson LLC, a Bethesda-based holding company, is looking to revamp the customer experience of Lids Sports Group, a licensed sports apparel franchise the firm just acquired for $100 million.

LHM Group sells its Fanzz apparel chain

The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies Friday announced an agreement to sell Fanzz, one of the nation’s largest licensed sports apparel and merchandise retailers, to Fanzz Gear Inc., an affiliate of Ames Watson Capital LCC.

 Interviews

Lids' CEO: Global Brick-and-Mortar Retail is 'Alive and Healthy' (Podcast)

Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Tom, as he shares how Lids' store operations expertise is an asset as more professional sports leagues push into experiential store spaces, how brick-and-mortar factors into the retailer's current and future planning, and how the business is diversifying its store portfolio.

Tom Ripley, CEO of Lids, on Change and Management (Podcast)

Tom joined the Strong Skills Podcast with Brian Levenson to discuss his extensive operating experience across more than two dozen different companies, his career as an infantry and special operations officer in the United States Marine Corps, parenting, leadership and more.

Tom Ripley on the Future of the Lids Brand (Podcast)

After acquiring Lids in 2018, Tom Ripley, Chairman and CEO of Lids Sporting Group has it going on an amazing run. The company is expected to sell about 30 million hats this year!
He joined Jason, Michael Barr and Mike Lynch to talk everything from the company's future and how soccer superstar Lionel Messi's signing with Paris Saint-Germain F.C. has boosted business.

Up Close: In Conversation with Lids CEO Tom Ripley

Up Close is Sourcing Journal’s regular check-in with industry executives to get their take on topics ranging from personal style to their company’s latest moves. In this Q&A, Tom Ripley, CEO of hat and sports gear retailer Lids, discusses how his company navigated the pandemic and the importance of fit in headwear.

Episode 66: Lids CEO Tom Ripley

Tom Ripley is the CEO of Lids, the largest licensed sports retailer in the country, and the co-founder of the private equity firm that owns it. Tom joins Adam to share his best lessons from his journey from Special Operations officer in the Marine Corps to leader of a company doing over a billion dollars in annual sales. Tom and Adam discuss how to turn around a business and a culture; managing relationships with star athletes and sports leagues; leadership, hiring, marketing and deal-making; and much more.

A Day In The Life With FanzzLids Chair Lawrence Berger

FanzzLids Holdings Chair and Ames Watson LLC Partner & Co-Founder LAWRENCE BERGER has a lot on his plate these days, trying to balance an active lifestyle, spending time with his family and juggling his many responsibilities with work. Aside from the many new deals he's helping evalu...

Giving Back

Through partnerships with the Lids Foundation, Ames Watson is proud to support a variety of non-profits, dedicated to improving their communities via direct action.