Castore, the rapidly expanding British sportswear group, has agreed a multi-year partnership with Premier League football club Newcastle United FC.
The landmark agreement will see Castore become the club’s new on and off-field partner, from the start of the 2021-22 season.
It follows similar agreements with Rangers FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC as Castore continues to disrupt a market dominated by a handful of global brands.
The Newcastle United deal will see Castore supply new, bespoke designs for home, away and training kits for next season with, for the first time, fans able to buy the same quality Castore shirts that the players will be wearing.
Castore will also take over the day-to-day running of the club’s eCommerce operations, redesigning the club’s online store and launching a much wider range of merchandise than previously available to Magpies supporters.
The burgeoning brand will also be investing in the refurbishment of the existing club store at St. James’ Park, with a grand re-opening planned before the new season kicks off in August.
Castore is also planning to open additional Newcastle United retail stores in Newcastle City Centre, making products more accessible to the club’s passionate fan base.
The agreement underlines the global ambitions of Castore which already has partnerships with several elite athletes and teams including former tennis world number one Sir Andy Murray, England and British Lions’ rugby union star Owen Farrell and Olympic and World Champion swimmer Adam Peaty. Castore also recently signed a lucrative partnership with McLaren Formula 1 to further diversify its portfolio of partners.
Tom Beahon, co-founder of Castore, said: “I am thrilled to be partnering with one of the most historic and famous clubs in English football.
“Newcastle United has a huge and deeply passionate fan base, and we look forward to giving the ‘Toon Army’ something else to get excited about next season.
“We believe the partnership signals not only a new shirt for the new season but also a new start, a new better for this iconic club.”
Lee Charnley, Managing Director at Newcastle United, said: “We are delighted to confirm the new partnership between Newcastle United and Castore.
“Castore has already built a reputation as an aspirational brand in a highly competitive sportswear market and we feel they are a great partner for the club.
“We welcome them to Newcastle United and look forward to developing a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Castore – with its slogan “Better Never Stops” – was founded by sporting brothers Tom and Phil Beahon in 2015. It develops highly innovative sportswear which is made using patented fabrics and advanced technical engineering for gym use, athletics, tennis and golf.
It has set out ambitious plans to take on global sportswear giants such as Adidas and Nike, particularly in top-level football in the UK and Europe.
The company operates a digital, direct-to-consumer business model that has allowed it to grow extremely rapidly since launch and avoid the much-publicised challenges of many traditional bricks and mortar brands and now sells into over 90 countries globally.
Castore is backed by a consortium of high-profile private investors. They include a billionaire family who invested in January to facilitate Castore’s entry into the global football market, where the brand believes there is an opportunity to disrupt the established players at the highest levels of the sport.
Castore expects to partner with five leading clubs across Europe for the 2022/2023 season and utilise its digital expertise and capabilities in technical engineering to create products that enhance player performance and increase club revenues from branded merchandise.
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