Lids Sports Group announced a licensing agreement extension with the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) granting the retailer licensing rights to embroider the names, numbers and autographs (EmbroidiGraph) of Major League Baseball players on New Era MLB-licensed caps. The new agreement also includes the rights to embroider player EmbroidiGraphs on MLB-licensed jerseys and tees. The agreement encompasses the U.S. and Canada.
The MLBPA customization program was initially launched in 2014 at Lids and Locker Room by Lids stores at the MLB All Star Game in Minneapolis. It was a first-of-a-kind agreement for both the MLBPA and Lids Sports Group. The offering of EmbroidiGraphs of Major Leaguers is timed with the announcement of the 2015 MLB All Star team on July 3. Customers will be able to add MLB Player EmbroidiGraphs for all 2015 MLB All Stars starting tomorrow at the Lids Custom Zone inside Lids and Locker Room by Lids stores throughout North America.
"We strive to take customers' fandom to the next level," says Ken Kocher, president of Lids Sports Group. "Being able to offer custom MLB player embroidery in stores through our Custom Zone furthers our edge to give fans design and style possibilities as unique as they are."
"We're excited to be expanding our relationship with Lids," said Evan Kaplan, MLBPA director of licensing and business development. "The positive fan reaction to the initial launch of the cap customization program was so overwhelming that extending EmbroidiGraphs to jerseys and T-shirts was a natural next step. Now fans have even more ways to connect with, and demonstrate their support for, their favorite players."
Lids currently operates 936 headwear specialty retail stores, 151 sports fan retail stores and 57 team-specific professional sports and university athletics retail stores across North America.
ABOUT Lids SPORTS GROUP
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.lidsclubhouse.com, www.lidsteamsports.com and www.lids.ca. Operating out of Indianapolis, Indiana, the retail businesses make up more than 1,350 mall-based, airport, street level and factory outlet locations nationwide, and in Canada and Puerto Rico. Lids retail stores offer officially licensed and branded headwear of collegiate teams, major professional sports teams, as well as other specialty fashion categories in the latest styles and colors. Locker Room by Lids is a mall-based retailer of sports headwear, apparel, accessories, and novelties, which also operates under the Sports Fan-Attic and Sports Avenue retail concepts. Most Lids and Locker Room by Lids stores also offer custom embroidery capability. Lids Clubhouse operates team-specific professional sports and university athletics retail stores and e-commerce sites. Lids Team Sports is a full-service team uniform and apparel dealer, custom screen printer, embroidery and sporting goods distributor. Hat World Inc. is a subsidiary of Genesco Inc.
