Castore: The Liverpool Upstart That Turned Sponsorship Into a Sportswear Empire
Castore, the British sportswear brand founded by brothers Tom and Phil Beahon, has grown revenue 30% to £334.6m in its latest year and is now fielding unsolicited takeover approaches — a decade-long lesson in building a brand through sponsorship rather than advertising.
The story
Castore began as a premium sportswear idea from brothers Tom and Phil Beahon and is marking ten years in 2026. For the year ended 3 August 2025, parent J.Carter Sporting Club lifted revenue 30% to £334.6m and more than doubled EBITDA to £30.7m, though the company still records losses as it invests in growth. In early 2026 it raised £90m in new debt to accelerate its retail rollout and push into the Middle East and Asia, and by September it had appointed JPMorgan to review takeover interest from rivals.
Its backers read like a who's-who of British business instinct: Andy Murray has been a shareholder since 2019, New Look founder Tom Singh is involved, and Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos stepped in after Castore acquired heritage label Belstaff.
The marketing engine: borrowed credibility at scale
Castore did not try to out-shout Nike and adidas with advertising. It bought credibility directly, by kitting out teams and athletes — a strategy of 'borrowed credibility' where every shirt on a professional back is a walking endorsement seen by millions, for a fraction of a brand-awareness campaign's cost. When you see an elite team in Castore, the brand has skipped the argument and gone straight to proof.
That is the under-appreciated economics of sponsorship for a challenger: it converts a marketing budget into visible, repeated, third-party validation. A TV ad says 'we are good'. A pro athlete wearing your kit, winning, says it for you — and keeps saying it every match. For a brand with no heritage, that borrowed authority is the fastest route to being taken seriously.
The risk — and what SMEs can take from it
The model has a catch Castore knows well: sponsorship is expensive and front-loaded, which is why the business is still loss-making even at scale. Borrowed credibility only pays off if you convert the visibility into owned demand — direct-to-consumer sales, retail, a brand people seek out rather than merely recognise. Castore's retail push and Belstaff deal are exactly that: turning sponsored fame into a business that stands on its own.
The lesson for smaller brands is not 'go sponsor a football club'. It is that proof beats persuasion. A visible endorsement from a credible third party — a respected partner, a marquee client, a category authority — buys trust faster than any amount of self-description. Find your proportionate version of a shirt deal, then do the unglamorous work of converting that credibility into demand you own.
Quick FAQ
Is Castore being sold?
As of September 2026 it had appointed JPMorgan to review unsolicited takeover approaches; no formal sale process had been confirmed, and outcomes ranged from a stake sale to no deal.
How big is Castore?
Parent J.Carter Sporting Club reported revenue up 30% to £334.6m and EBITDA of £30.7m for the year to 3 August 2025, while still recording overall losses.
Castore's genius was refusing to argue. Instead of telling people it belonged alongside the giants, it put its logo on elite teams and let the proof do the talking. For any young brand, borrowed credibility is the cheapest trust money can buy — provided you then convert it into demand you actually own. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Proof beats persuasion. A credible third party wearing your badge sells harder than any ad you can write about yourself.
What is your proportionate version of a shirt sponsorship — the visible proof that would make customers take you seriously overnight?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Sky News, FashionUnited, City AM, The Business Desk. Figures are the company's most recently reported results.
Related reading
Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
