Fanatics, Lids to Open Paris Saint-Germain Store in New York
Paris Saint-Germain is about to set down roots on the East Coast of the U.S.
The storied French multisport club has opened a flagship at 587 Fifth Avenue, the first official boutique in New York City for an international sports club.
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The store is being operated by Fanatics and Lids. Fanatics holds a 50 percent ownership stake in Lids and the two teamed up to open the first PSG store in the Westfield Century City Mall in Los Angeles last May.
The new store comes as a result of a 10-year partnership deal Fanatics and PSG signed in the middle of 2020 that expanded their prior relationship beyond e-commerce to include manufacturing rights and management of the club’s apparel, headwear and hard goods licensed products as well as the opening of retail stores in key locations.
The PSG boutique in New York is 4,400 square feet, making it substantially larger than the 1,100-square-foot store in L.A., and the club’s largest retail store outside of France. PSG also operates four boutiques in Japan — three in Tokyo and one in Nagoya — as well as one in Seoul, South Korea, and three in Doha, Qatar. All told, PSG has 15 stores in five countries including a flagship on the Champs-Élysées that opened this year.
The New York store will feature team jerseys, headwear, accessories, a full range of Nike and Jordan teamwear, one-of-a-kind collaboration product, fashion collections and New York-inspired PSG designs, which will be available exclusively at the new location.
It will include a customization station, a feature present in many Lids stores, as well as select collectibles, such as signed game and non-game jerseys. Other soccer team items will also be offered in the store.
PSG is teaming with Fly Nowhere, a New York City-based creative studio, to create a co-branded PSG x NY T-shirt and tote that will be available only at the New York and Paris flagships.
According to Britten Maughan, president of Lids, “Sales at Century City Mall in Los Angeles have exceeded our expectations. The great thing about the concept is we are not just selling to fans of the team. We are also selling Paris and fashion to a variety of customers and demographics. Consumers love the disruptive colorways and the Jordan product. We’ve sold Jordan shoes, jerseys, hoodies, Ts and bottoms all performing very well.”
Although there are no other units immediately planned for this time, Lids is “evaluating additional opportunities in North America,” Maughan said.
“Once again, Paris Saint-Germain is leading the way by bringing a flagship store right to the heart of New York City, one of the world’s iconic intersections of sports, culture and fashion,” said Zohar Ravid, senior vice president, head of global corporate development at Fanatics. “The club is always pushing new boundaries and we are delighted to once again team up with our partners at Lids to expand its global retail presence in a key international market and help the club on its journey to becoming one of the most culturally relevant sports clubs and brands in the world.”
Lawrence Berger, cofounder and partner at Ames Watson and chairman of FanzzLids Holdings, which owns the other half of the Lids business, said, “This is an exciting moment for Lids and Paris Saint-Germain fans as they now have an exclusive place to purchase the latest fashions, plus the ability to customize product in-store.”
“Paris Saint-Germain brand development over the last 10 years is truly unique. Becoming the first sports team to open an official boutique in New York City is a key milestone to establish the club as one of the greatest sports brands in the world,” said Fabien Allègre, brand director at Paris Saint-Germain. “We are delighted to work with Fanatics to reinforce our presence in North America and to have a retail expert in Lids operating the store. The club is now the number-four sports club in the world on social media and our fanbase, worldwide and especially in the U.S., is growing exponentially. Over 160 million fans follow our team every day. New York is the pinnacle of that growth.”
A grand-opening event is slated for March 18.
Established in 1970, Paris Saint-Germain is headquartered in Paris and has been owned by Qatar Sports Investments since 2011. It has clubs in men’s and women’s soccer, handball, judo and e-sports, and operates offices in Singapore, New York and Doha.
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