Andy Murray becomes shareholder in sportswear brand Castore

Premium British sportswear brand Castore has confirmed that British tennis star, Andy Murray has become a shareholder in the business and will take on the role of board advisor, as part of its ongoing long-term partnership.

Castore, which was founded by brothers Tom and Phil Beahon in 2015 and named one of Walpole’s Brands of Tomorrow in 2018, will continue to be the official kit partner to Murray, who wore Castore sportswear while playing in the Australian Open earlier this year, while also working with the tennis star on developing its apparel.

The partnership with Murray is part of the premium sportswear brands expansion into technical tennis apparel and will see the tennis star working on “collaborative product development,” added the brand, which will include debuting his new Castore match and training kit, to coincide with his planned returned to the sport this summer following his hip operation.

On the partnership, Murray said in a statement: “Castore is a young, exciting brand that offers something different, with products that are really well cut and designed. For me it was a natural progression from previous kit partners. They’re the best I have tried and trained in.

“I am looking forward to working with their design team on the tennis line and to be part of a British success story. The company is founded on ethical principles in the way it treats suppliers and staff and that’s something that really resonated with me.”

Castore announces long-term partnership with Andy Murray

The British brand has previously shared it has “worldwide ambitions” and aims to challenge the market and change the future dynamic of international sportswear and added that this partnership with Murray is an “exciting time for British sportswear” and will help position Castore as a premium alternative on the global stage.

It also adds that this is a “first step” on the brand’s strategy plan which includes continued international growth, working with new retail partners, adding extra categories including womenswear, as well as additional athlete partnerships.

Castore co-founder Tom Beahon added: "We are incredibly excited to be partnering with an athlete of Andy's caliber whose drive, commitment and competitive spirit have transcended tennis and inspired a generation of future British athletes. Andy embodies the Castore ethos of Better Never Stops, we immediately shared a joint vision on how to move the brand forward.

“Our goal is to build Castore into the world's leading premium sportswear brand and the partnership with Andy represents a major step to achieving this vision. We are very proud to be a British sportswear brand and extremely excited about the opportunities this new relationship with Andy encompasses.”

The announcement follows the 3.2 million pound investment last year to help fund its international expansion, where Castore welcomed high-profile investors including former Saatchi and Saatchi chief executive, Robert Senior and Net-A-Porter investor, Arnaud Massenet. At the time of the investment, Castore said that the funds would be used to expand the business in Asia and the US.

Brothers Tom and Phil Beahon, who both came from professional sporting backgrounds, founded Castore with a mission to deliver the “lightest, most durable, highest performing sportswear in the market” and since its launch in 2015 the digitally native business model has grown rapidly and now sells in more than 40 countries around the world. Its success it adds is down to all of its garments have been tested by elite athletes to ensure they excel at the highest level.

Images: courtesy of Castore