North-America's largest licensed sports retailer set for UK expansion with 20 new stores

The American headwear retailer Lids is looking to open 20 UK stores by the end of 2022, after announcing four retail locations in London, Essex and Brighton. 

The first store, located on Neal Street in Covent Garden's Seven Dials area has already opened, selling officially licensed MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and soccer gear as well as allowing customers to create their own custom-made hat.

The second store, located in North Greenwich's Icon Outlet at The O2 is set to be unveiled in a few days. Two further stores, in Essex's Lakeside Shopping Centre and Brighton's Churchill Square Shopping Centre Russel Place, will open later this month.

Lids is projecting it will have 20 stores operating in the U.K. by the end of 2022, according to Britten Maughan, the firm’s president, marking the beginning of a larger expansion plans globally.

Minneapolis-based Lids Sports Group is the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, a specialising in fan and fashion headwear and apparel, operating a vast retail network of over 1,100 locations across the US, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Samantha Bain-Mollison, Retail Director at Shaftesbury, commented: “To provide the globally recognised American retailer, Lids, with its first UK store is a great addition to Neal Street and the wider Seven Dials community, and reflects the global attraction and success of this unique destination in the heart of London’s West End. We worked closely with Lids to make this debut possible as the first part of its European expansion; it’s with this approach that sees iconic retailers choose our destinations.”