Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 22, 2026

Lids (store)

Hat World, Inc. is an American retailer specializing in athletic headwear. It primarily operates under the Lids brand with stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom plus various websites. The majority of the stores operate in shopping malls and factory outlet centers.

Last revised
Jun 22, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
544 w
Citations
13
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Hat World, Inc.
Lids Sports Group
Company type
Subsidiary
IndustryRetail, Textile
Founded1995 (1995)
Headquarters
Indianapolis, Indiana
,
US
Number of locations
2,000 1
Area served
List
    • United States
    • Canada
    • France
    • Netherlands
    • Puerto Rico
    • United Kingdom
    • Australia
Key people
List
    • Tom Ripley (CEO of Lids)
    • Bob Durda (President)
    • George Berger (co-founder, original Chairman and executive of Hat World, Inc.)
    • Glenn Campbell (co-founder and executive of Hat World, Inc.)
    • Scott Molander(co-founder and executive of Hat World, Inc.)
    • Conner White (co-founder of Lids)
    • Ben Fischman (co-founder of Lids)
    • Douglass Karp (co-founder of Lids)
    • Meek Mill (co-owner)
    • Ken Wilson (DSM Central PA)
Products
Parent
Divisions
List
    • Lids Locker Room
    • Lids Clubhouse
    • Lids U (formerly FLC - Fanatics Lids College)
    • Lids Macy's
Websitelids.com

Hat World, Inc. (doing business as Lids Sports Group) is an American retailer specializing in athletic headwear. It primarily operates under the Lids brand with stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom plus various websites. The majority of the stores operate in shopping malls and factory outlet centers.45

History

Lids Corp. was founded in Boston by Douglass Karp (son of real estate developer Stephen R. Karp) and Ben Fischman (son of real estate developer Steven Fischman) in 1993.67 Hat World, Inc. was founded in 1995 by George Berger, Glenn Campbell and Scott Molander, with its headquarters office in Sioux Falls, SD.

Hat World's first store opened on November 3, 1995, in the Tippecanoe Mall in Lafayette, Indiana.8 The second store opened at Muncie Mall in Muncie, Indiana. The company's operations and warehouse were located in Indianapolis. The administrative headquarters was later moved from Sioux Falls to Indianapolis. The original Lids Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001 and certain Lids stores, the tradename/trademark and other assets were acquired by Hat World, Inc., which subsequently changed its store names from "Hat World" to "Lids."

Hat World, Inc. (dba the new "Lids") was acquired in April 2004 by footwear retailer Genesco Inc.9

In 2018 Genesco sold Hat World/Lids to "FanzzLids Holdings", a joint venture between Ames Watson, LLC, and Fanatics, Inc. (minority investment) for $100 million in cash.310 Also in 2019, rapper Meek Mill acquired an ownership stake.11

In 2019 Lids acquired Fanzz. In 2024, Fanatics, Inc. became the majority owner of Lids Holdings.1

References

References

  1. Lids at fanaticsinc.com
  2. EXEC: Ames Watson’s Lawrence Berger Talks the Lids Turnaround by Thomas J. Ryan at SGB online.com. November 11, 2025
  3. Genesco Sells Lids For $100 Million; Fanatics Takes Minority Stake In Buyer By Bryan Wassel at retailtouchpoints.com. 18 Dec 2018
  4. "Lids - Company Information". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  5. "Genesco Inc. - Lids". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  6. Lilliefors, Jim (September 1, 2009). Ball Cap Nation: A Journey Through the World of America's National Hat. Clerisy Press. pp. 102–110. ISBN 9781578604111.
  7. Schwartz, Jason (March 23, 2009). "It's Much, Much More Than Just a Hat". Boston Magazine. Boston Magazine.
  8. Ketzenberger, John (27 December 2004). "2004 Top Stories & Newsmakers: Outside companies snag high-profile loals". Indianapolis Business Journal. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013.
  9. "Genesco Completes Hat Shack, Inc. Acquisition" (Press release). Genesco Inc. 2004-04-02. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  10. "Ames Watson acquires Lids Sports Group". Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  11. "Meek Mill Becomes Co-Owner of Lids | SGB Media Online". 26 June 2019.
External links