DICK’S Sporting Goods is rolling out dedicated Lids shop-in-shops across its US store network, starting with 46 live locations and targeting more than 100 by late summer 2026. The move puts a specialist licensed headwear retailer inside one of the country’s largest sporting goods chains.
Licensed headwear is a difficult fit for a broad-format sporting goods retailer. The category is SKU-intensive, highly regional, and shaped by team loyalties that shift faster than standard apparel planning cycles. Rather than build the assortment in-house, Dick’s is importing Lids’ full fixture-and-merchandising model, with each shop-in-shop carrying Lids branding, displays, and training programs designed and led by Lids for Dick’s associates.
The arrangement effectively turns a section of the floor into a licensed concession, a format more common in department stores than sporting goods.
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A wider expansion pipeline: pop-ups, Field House growth and more House of Sport
Dick’s is also testing a rotating pop-up concept in the Hamptons this summer for its private labels, expanding its Field House format with roughly 22 new locations in 2026, and opening 14 House of Sport stores. According to the company’s Q1 2026 earnings call, House of Sport locations drive strong sales and profitability while serving as an on-ramp for new and emerging brands. Chief executive Lauren Hobart connected this dynamic to recent additions including Vuori and Gymshark.
Scale and context
The broader corporate context for Dick’s is significant. Dick’s completed its acquisition of Foot Locker in September 2025 for an equity value of approximately $2.4 billion. Foot Locker continues to operate as a standalone business unit within Dick’s portfolio.
The Lids partnership does not change the financial profile of that combination, but it signals how Dick’s is approaching licensed and lifestyle merchandise within its legacy store format: through third-party specialists rather than organic category development, and at speed. The expansion timeline, with more than 100 stores planned by late summer 2026, is relatively compressed, suggesting both parties have aligned on a rollout model that can be replicated quickly across Dick’s existing infrastructure without significant capital commitment on either side.
