New Era Cap going into the retail business

[Gothamite]

New Era to open their own retail store in New York City

Interesting. We'll see.

Given that I won't buy any New Era caps that I haven't seen with my own eyes, this is one way to get me buying their products again....

[HatManTC]

thats great if you live in NYC but do they plan to open a bunch of stores or just exclussive locations?

i know i promote the hell out of lids. but if you ever looking for NEW ERA hats they dont have in store. if you order it and you dont like it for any reason you can take it back to any store.

[meangreen]

Interesting. I think this type of store would only fly in NY and in the Village in particular. Other that NYC, the rest of the nation I've noticed in my travels is not as HAT INFATUATED as the Big Apple. Of course their core MLB cap business is huge and the Mets themselves must have like 286 variations of that same interlocking NY...

[HatManTC]

Interesting. I think this type of store would only fly in NY and in the Village in particular. Other that NYC, the rest of the nation I've noticed in my travels is not as HAT INFATUATED as the Big Apple. Of course their core MLB cap business is huge and the Mets themselves must have like 286 variations of that same interlocking NY...

do you realize there are LIDS stores all over the country and many other companys just like it.

so it could work in other places.

[Gothamite]

Other that NYC, the rest of the nation I've noticed in my travels is not as HAT INFATUATED as the Big Apple.

I don't know about that - there seems to be a Lids in every mall in America, and New Era caps are a large part of their business.

[meangreen]

I have seen Lids stores at airports and some malls but never see anyone buy anything from them and in Chicago they closed 2 stores in malls out in the burbs... Like I mentioned, a New Era theme store would work but no where else in my opinion.

[markar14]

I have seen Lids stores at airports and some malls but never see anyone buy anything from them and in Chicago they closed 2 stores in malls out in the burbs... Like I mentioned, a New Era theme store would work but no where else in my opinion.

I don't know what malls you're shopping at, but in my suburbs the Lids do just fine... I think that a successful NE store may encourage other hat makers (Zephyr etc.) to follow suit, thus bringing an end to Lids. But at this point, I don't see a store as a big deal. Maybe they'll open on Michigan Ave. on the Mag Mile here; that'd be nice.

[meangreen]

The NBA Store seemed to be an easy store franchise to roll out around the country and it's sucked wind since it opened (from sources I've spoken with.

I think you might be overestimating the New Era name. Guys 18 to 25 know the brand (but that's it) so I'd be wary if I was New Era. They'll be competing against some very outstanding MLB team stores (Chi Cubs and Chi WSox here in the Windy City) so yes, NYC I think a winner, west of the Hudson I really doubt it.

Just one dude's opinion...

[BadSeed84]

http://www.neweracap.com/retail/nyc/index.cfm

very nice

wouldve been really awesome if it didnt have that god damned sticker on teh hat, god I hate peopel who leave stickers on the hat and not bend the brim.

[griffin128]

Here's something funny I noticed.

I was born and raised in Queens and left NYC a couple of years ago to move to upstate NY. I don't agree that all of America really is that hat crazy. In Brooklyn every kid thinks they are a rapper and has a neon pink Red Sox hat with the giant logo across the front or whatever other color will match their sneakers.

In upstate NY, you never see those hats. It's just plain dirty college caps. Sure there's a lids in the mall but they don't sell 50 different color hats to every hip hop wannabe like they do in the city.

[meangreen]

Griffin 128-

Thanks for helping support the arguement that only in NYC does a New Era flagship really have a chance. In fact in the more conservative Midwest, I cannot see mall rats parents wanting their kids wearing an argyle NY pink Yankees hat. Welcome to the rest of America...

[scootrdice]

A NewEra Store would work. For Lids being in every mall. In Arizona, Lids is not only in every mall, they are in the worst strip malls. The stores in Phoenix are called HatClub. They are the Number one seller on Newera west of the Mississippi. They located in Az, Nor Cal, So Cal, and Texas. Lids is a East Coast thing, and overrated on the west coast.

Put a NewEra store in the same mall as Lids, Lids would go under in within a year or two in that mall. If Lids couldn't sell NewEra they would be nothing. All they sell are program hats which are made in China and not in the plants in New York and Alambama.

[FiddySicks]

This makes me want to fly out to NYC just to go to this new store. Id lose about a grand or so.

[danson]

I love my Red Sox New Era Cap, I wouldn't mind a few more New Era caps though.

[canis19]

as someone who also lived in nyc and moved to upsatate ny, we should all be careful because if your rummage around the new era email about a store opening(i also recieved one), they are making regular hats now also as in fashion military style baseball etc... I think this store is going to be selling items like this and their crocodile ny yankess cap more than the hard to find high desert mavericks cap.

[Gothamite]

I think you're probably right - it's likely to be more about variations on a few caps than about a wide selection of caps.

But we'll see. I'll go, to see if they have the Brewers' Sunday alt in a low-profile....

[illinirox1]

Griffin 128-

Thanks for helping support the arguement that only in NYC does a New Era flagship really have a chance. In fact in the more conservative Midwest, I cannot see mall rats parents wanting their kids wearing an argyle NY pink Yankees hat. Welcome to the rest of America...

Although Ann Arbor is not really a model for the rest of the midwest, we do have a Lids at our mall that sells basic hats. It does well. And there are loads of high school kids who would wear an argyle pink NY hat. (and probably do.)

[Gothamite]

Exactly.

Beware of evidence by anecdote. Just because you don't see a lot of people in the Lids at your mall doesn't mean that the stores perform poorly outside of Brooklyn.

Let's look at some numbers to see what New Era's thinking. I pulled Hat World's last 10-K (Fiscal Year Ended January 28, 2006), filed by its parent company Genesco, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission

Hat World had net sales of $297,271,000 last year. At the end of Fiscal Year 2006, they operated 641 stores. They opened 89 new stores (net after figuring in store closings) in Fiscal 2006 and plan to open approximately 84 net new stores in Fiscal 2007. That's not a struggling company.

And that's only one company in the baseball cap marketplace. That's a huge market. I don't know if New Era is the company to join that market, since their products are fairly lousy (if "official"), but the market is out there. It might crash and burn as trends change, but at the moment, baseball cap retail is a huge business. You can't blame New Era for trying to cut out the middle man, even if only in a couple select locations. The retail side of the business must look pretty attractive to them....

[pcgd]

I've lived in the Midwest my whole life.

Pretty much every hat I own has been purchased at a Hat World or Lids. I still use my 20% off card I bought from them in 1994 that same store is still open in Champaign, IL. Everytime I go in there they are pretty busy. Gurnee Mills, Brookfield, Woodfield, Regency (Racine), Market Place (Champaign), St. Clair Square (Fairview Heights), St. Louis Mills, etc. They all had Hat World/Lids, and they all were doing fine. Even the white cornfed college boy who wears a forward facing hat (ie Me) will find the hat they want there. Its the only place I can find an awesome selection of the Franchise hats I love.

I also see plenty of kids, teens, adults wearing the sideways pink argyle red sox hats in Kenosha Wisconsin. If it happens in Kenosha, I'm sure its happening in Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, Champaign, Kansas City, and all over the Midwest.

[HatManTC]

see heres where the problem lies. you think all they will sell will be the 59fifty but that wont be the case. NE offers a broader line of caps that are similar to many of the other popular brands such as TWINS Enterprise and Top oF the World. Sure their main focus will be the 59fifty line being that it is their most popular hat line. but it wont be the only thing they will be selling.