Hat World plans to convert its Sports Fan-Attic, 37 in all, into Lids Locker Room stores. The company currently operates seven Lids Locker Room stores. Hat World acquired Sports Fan-Attic in 2009. The stores offer licensed sports headwear, apparel, accessories and novelties.

In addition, Hat World will transition its Impact Sport business into Lids Team Sports. Impact Sports, acquired in 2008, is a full-service team dealer, custom screen printer, embroidery and sporting goods distributor. Hat World has also rolled out a new Lids Team Sports logo and Web site at www.lidsteamsports.com.

“Under the Lids brand umbrella, we are building three, interrelated businesses—the hat business, the fan-oriented specialty chain and the wholesale team sport business,” says Kenneth Kocher, president of Hat World. “Our goal is to have the customer think of Lids first—whether they are thinking about the teams they play for or the teams they root for. We see lots of synergies in the way we market to this customer—for example, with loyalty programs that reward consumers for their overall business with Lids and with a common customer database supporting cross-selling capabilities.”

Hat World currently operates more than 900 mall-based, airport, street-level and factory outlet stores in the U.S. Canada and Puerto Rico.

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The dedicated shops feature select local team products, as well as product featuring the NBA’s most popular players. Merchandise includes swingman jerseys, on-court shooting shirts, T-shirts, shorts, headwear and track jackets. Additionally, each season, Champs Sports will roll out exclusive NBA fashion collections, beginning this spring with the Adidas White/White Collection, featuring a white swingman jersey, track jacket and T-shirt.

“The NBA Shop at Champs Sports provides us with a terrific opportunity to engage our fans year round with a wide selection of the newest and most popular NBA Adidas products,” says Chris Brennan, NBA’s senior vice president of sales development and retail marketing. “We’ve worked closely with Champs Sports and Adidas to create a dedicated space within each store that brings to life the excitement of the NBA with products our fans will love.”

In other NBA news, Acton, Mass.-based Team Grill has gained the rights to a number of teams to be featured on its grills. They include the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs.

The grills, which retail for $999, are available at www.teamgrill.com, as well as at NBA team retailers, including Miami Hoops Gear and Detroit Pistons Palace Locker Room. The NBA Online Store will also have the line soon.

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The new agreements include:

• NAS International for Donnay-branded golf and tennis equipment and apparel, accessories and umbrellas (U.S., Canada, Japan and Korea)
• HD Brown for Dunlop-branded golf and tennis equipment and accessories, as well as Carlton-branded badminton equipment and accessories (Canada)
• Rila Brand Comercio/SBF Comercio for Dunlop-branded footwear and swimming and diving apparel, as well as non-exclusive rights to bicycles (Brazil)
• No Mas for Everlast- and Lonsdale-branded men’s activewear apparel, headwear and bags (U.S.)
• Promofest Cia for Everlast-branded underwear, headwear and socks (Ecuador)
• Distribuidora Action Sports for No Fear-branded apparel, headwear and footwear (Chile and Peru)
• Active Brands for No Fear-branded men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, footwear, headwear, socks, bags, wallets, key chains, mixed martial arts apparel, stationery, energy bars, eyewear and helmets for skating and cycling (Brazil)
• G.B.C. for Slazenger-branded footwear, including fashion shoes, canvas shoes, sandals and sport shoes (Chile)
• Morel for Slazenger-branded backpacks, duffle bags, messenger bags, totes, travel bags and luggage (Brazil)
• Worldwide Exports Management for Dunlop-branded tennis, golf, squash and badminton equipment (Latin America)

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As agent, Fusion Licensing is seeking partners in food and beverage, personal care and sports and fitness.

“The consumer product program that we are building with the support of Fusion will enable us to better reach the communities we serve and support the causes we believe in,” says Earvin “Magic” Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of MJE.

Fusion Licensing’s other brands include EMI Music, The Royal Mail, Austin-Healey, MG, Triumph and Daisy Rock, as well as artist estates such as Salvador Dali and Erté.

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The shop will open in 2011 and sell Olympic-related merchandise, which will also be stocked by the Oxford Street branch of John Lewis. An estimated 10,000 licensed products will be on sale by the start of 2012. John Lewis is a sponsor of the 2012 Olympics.

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“Lands’ End Business Outfitters is expanding our product offering to better serve our customers by providing a single, reliable source of branded products, from polo shirts to drinkware,” says John Maher, vice president of Lands’ End Business Outfitters. “We have selected items for our collection that are not only useful but also tasteful, professional and, in many cases, sustainable.”

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Jordache is the licensee of the USPA’s THRE3 brand. The manufacturer is planning four annual product releases.

“The THRE3 brand was designed to depict the authentic lifestyle concept of the sport of polo in the United States,” says Cliff Lelonek, president and chief executive officer of USPA, a division of Jordache. “It’s comfortable, casual and accessible to everyone in the family. We believe the relationship with Kmart is a well-chosen step toward the long-range success of the THRE3 brand.”

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“We believe that there are many opportunities in the collegiate trading card category that have not been fully realized, and Upper Deck shares our vision for expansion,” says David Kirkpatrick, Collegiate Licensing Company’s vice president of non-apparel marketing. “We are confident that fans will embrace this strategy, which will place a renewed focus on collegiate accomplishments, in addition to a student-athlete’s post-collegiate potential.”

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The pet products, retailing from $9.99 to $19.99, will include round and large beds, blankets, leashes and more. The items will be sold at retailers, including Bed, Bath and Beyond and JCPenney. A portion of the proceeds from MerchSource products will go toward Animal Planet’s national campaign ROAR.
“Working with MerchSource, we are able to bring top-of-the-line pet products to fans of our programming so that they can enjoy the Animal Planet brand with the pets they love,” says Elizabeth Bakacs, vice president of licensing at Discovery Commerce.

The deal was brokered by Animal Planet agent the Joester Loria Group. SuperFetch will premiere October 3 at 8 PM on Animal Planet.

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“The PGA of America, Turner Sports and Time Warner have been longtime partners in presenting state-of-the-art digital media coverage of the best in championship golf to millions of fans, elevating the stature of our more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals,” says Joe Steranka, chief executive officer of PGA of America. “While Turner will continue to showcase the PGA’s tradition of dramatic championships, we’re especially excited about new initiatives in the company’s licensing division and the creation of social media platforms that will help us make the game relevant and interesting to the next generation of golfers.”

TNT will continue to cover the PGA Championship and PGA Grand Slam of Golf events. Turner will also maintain its management of PGA.com. The company plans to add a virtual learning experience where users can interact with and get game tips from a PGA professional.

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Prestige, the company’s first rookie card line, will hit stores in October 2009. The cards will include the five prospects in uniforms of the NBA teams that selected them in the 2009 NBA Draft presented by EA Sports.

“Rookies are a key part of the trading card business and we’re excited that fans will have the opportunity to receive autographed cards of these great players exclusively in Panini packs,” says Mike Eisenstein, chief executive officer of Panini America. “As we look forward to beginning our first year as the NBA’s exclusive trading card partner, it was important for us to build around great basketball players and great people. We feel strongly that these five will make a positive impact both on and off the court.”

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The deal between Disney Consumer Products and the NBA includes boys’ and men’s tees featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto blended with the colors and logos of the Magic and Lakers teams, as well as the NBA Finals trophy.

The line is currently being sold at both the Staples Center and Amway Arena, as well as Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World and online at www.nbastore.com, www.orlandomagicshop.com and www.lakersstore.com.

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The Digger and friends line already includes T-shirts, die-cast cars, mugs, license plates, disposable cameras and notebooks. The mascot hit Fox Sports’ NASCAR circuit in 2008 as a 2D animation.

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The DVD is due to be released in the UK and Republic of Ireland in June.

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“I’m excited about basing a big action picture inside the world that Johnny has created,” says Mednick. “While the American Gladiators themselves may not have ’super’ powers, I believe they are everyday heroes who are capable of extraordinary things. I look forward to creating a compelling story that launches a whole new set of characters.”

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The licensees will now begin the process of designing the items, and the first round of creative material will be shared with the players later this month. Plans are for the items to be sold later this season at the MLBPA’s new prototype retail store, The Players Clubhouse, located at Citi Field. The products will feature both player and team marks.

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Meanwhile, the company also introduced a lifestyle sub-brand Discovery Expedition, featuring a line of indoor and outdoor products, including weather stations, alarm clock radios, outdoor speakers and more. The items are expected to hit retailers this fall.

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The new race bike NRV 588 will hit world tracks beginning with the racing event Isle of Man TT in June. The 961 Commando road bike will debut to the worldwide consumer market in June and later be available for sale in the US.

“Our licensing program will target two markets that will undoubtedly cross over,” says Charlie Day, president of Sharpe. “First, the motorcycle enthusiasts and fans who remember classic Norton motorcycles from an earlier era, and second — concurrent with the new race team’s launch — we will develop hot products and accessories that will introduce the brand to a whole new generation. We know that there is much fond nostalgia for the race winning Norton brand in the US. There are high expectations for both the new race bike and the new road bike Norton is introducing in 2009.”

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“Sports fans have been asking us for years to pay tribute to the college teams of the top professional athletes by commemorating them in their college uniforms,” says Todd McFarlane, founder of McFarlane Toys. “By partnering with the CLC and the colleges, we are now able to bring a new dimension to our Sports Picks’ brand. We are designing a unique player-centric collegiate product that is different from anything else on the market.”

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As part of the promotion, the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania-based dairy brand also is offering fans a chance to win free tickets to Yankees’ regular season home games. An entry sticker can be found on both new fan flavors, from which consumers can enter the contest code online at TurkeyHill.com/Yankees.

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“As the NBA playoffs tip off, fans are looking for new, fun ways to show their team spirit,” says Jim Cass, Mars Direct vice president and general manager. “From the Lakers to the Celtics, and everywhere in between, My Team M&M’s Brand NBA Blends is the perfect treat for parties or gifting a superfan.”

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The FIFA Collections debut to retailers at fashion, sports and lifestyle trade shows in the coming months.

The crossover sports-fashion FIFA Collections comprise five separate ranges for men and women — 1904, Editions, Code, Essentials and Trophy. It is expected to be available in more than 100 FIFA Official Stores and FIFA Official Event Stores, plus a network of FIFA-branded shop-in-shops that are expected to open in 12 markets around the world beginning in August.

In addition to the two seasonal collection launches for spring/summer and autumn/winter, Global Brands is also developing an event range for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The apparel range links with the sporting event — the world’s single largest sports tournament — and also reflect the rich history of the African host nation.

The fashion collections have been designed in-house by Global Brands to appeal to mainstream, high-street fashion and lifestyle consumers, as well as to football fans across the world.

“This apparel and accessories collection is the first big product launch for the FIFA brand,” says Mark Matheny, chief executive and co-chairman of Global Brands Group. “The process started last May when we brought in the first distributors, then the lines were developed in collaboration with FIFA, and now they are being launched to the trade. We’ve created a football lifestyle brand and we are now at the important stage of placement with retailers.”

Distributor deals have been signed with Cooper Sports in Australia; Amigo Group in India; Young Turks in Turkey; Fireblade in the UK; and Total Apparel Group in the United States. Three further deals are pending and an additional six have been identified.

The first FIFA Official store opened in Singapore’s T3 terminal at Changi airport in January last year. The second store, and the Global Brands’ first in Europe, will open at Paris Orly airport on September 1.
Further standalone stores are planned in London, Tokyo and Los Angeles, as well as in emerging markets including Latin America, China and India.

“The launch of the first FIFA sports lifestyle collection marks an important milestone in our goal to connect with fans around the world,” says Thierry Weil, marketing director of FIFA. “There has been huge demand for the launch of this collection due to FIFA’s incredible brand exposure as well as the countdown to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We are confident that Global Brands Group’s expertise in the licensing and retail industry will ensure that FIFA merchandise reaches as wide an audience as possible, in every corner of the world.”

“Since becoming FIFA’s official licensing partner in 2005, Global Brands Group has worked tirelessly to create a range of apparel in keeping with the tradition and global stature of the FIFA brand,” says Matheny. “It was also important to ensure that we produced a range of apparel that appealed to a wide range of consumers, including football fans, fashionistas and men and women of all ages.”

“Through our master distributor network our goal is to deliver the FIFA brand experience to the broadest group of football fans and consumers worldwide,” says Simon Hawkins, senior vice president of global product sales, who leads the Fifa brand within Global Brands. “Our distributors have built up experience in the sports, lifestyle and value sectors, and have an established distribution infrastructure in place to meet the needs of retailers in their region.

“They are effectively an extension of Global Brands Group and will also provide valuable insight into their market and consumers in orders to ensure that we meet their needs.”

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