Performance sportswear brand Castore has grown quickly since its launch, going on to develop sports clothing for athletes including tennis star Andy Murray and rugby player Owen Farrell – as well as Rangers FC and the McLaren Automotive team.
Castore was founded in 2015 by Liverpudlians Tom and Philip Beahon and has since won investment from Andy Murray, and Asda owners Mohsin and Zuber Issa. The brand, ranked Top150 in the UK Growth 1000, turned over £115mn in the year to January 2023 and reported pre-tax profits of £14.7mn. It currently sells online and through 13 stores in the UK and Ireland. It also has international stores in locations including Dubai.
Visitors to Castore’s UK website can search or use filters including size, colour, product type or club to find the right item. They can buy quickly from the category page, having viewed colour options, an image and prices. Or they can view the product page for a choice of zoomable images, product details, reviews and ratings, along with the option to add to a wishlist.
At the checkout, shoppers can opt to pay through express options including PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay and Klarna. Delivery is free when shoppers spend £50, with items expected to arrive within three days. Returns can be made for up to 28 days, by post.
From its homepage, Castore links to four social networks: Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram – the latter being where the brand has its largest social following of 207k followers. Available content includes product and brand images, videos and news. Customers who share their purchases by tagging Castore on Instagram can appear in a community gallery on its website. Visitors are also invited to join its community by joining its mailing list for 15% off their first order.
This company profile originally appears in the RetailX UK Growth 1000 (G1K) 2023 report. Download the full report which focus on the value that retailers add through the customer, product, operations and capital value chains. We illustrate our research with case studies that demonstrate the practical approaches that Growth 1000 retailers are taking to selling online and across channels. Throughout we illustrate findings with RetailX graphics and analysis.
