The Lids Sports Group has reached an agreement to purchase Lexington, KY based Fan Outfitters, LLC. Funded by private equity firm iVisionary and affiliated partners, Fan Outfitters operates seven brick-and-mortar retail stores located in Kentucky and Oklahoma along with ecommerce websites tied to each location.
All locations will be branded Fan Outfitters by Lids and will maintain their local identities, with a merchandise selection and presentation featuring the teams associated with the communities where they operate. These locations will operate under the Locker Room by Lids division of Lids Sports Group, which is a primary focus of the Groups current growth strategy.
Fan Outfitters fits nicely into our overall objective of developing a leading national sports apparel retail brand that caters to local fans across the country, said Lids Sports Group President Ken Kocher. This acquisition allows us to immediately build on the relationship that both Fan Outfitters and the Lids brand have established with Kentucky, Louisville, and Oklahoma fans.
Combining the Lids brand with Fan Outfitters approach to the local fan provides a perfect opportunity to solidify our position in each of the markets we are located, said Joe Kawaja, Co-Founder of Fan Outfitters.
Lids Sports Group will introduce its Custom Zone in-store customization capabilities to the recently acquired locations, which will carry an assortment of local and regional products of officially licensed apparel and merchandise. Customers will also be able to take advantage of the companys national gift card and loyalty club programs at each location.
The Lids Sports Group, operating within Hat World, Inc., is comprised of the Lids retail headwear stores, the Locker Room by Lids specialty fan retail chain, the Lids Clubhouse retail stores, the Lids Team Sports wholesale team sports business, and the Internet businesses www.lids.com, www.lidslockerroom.com, wwwlidsclubhouse.com, www.lidsteamsports.com and www.lids.ca.
