Where does Castore come from? A brand founded in 2016 with ambitious projects from Andy Murray to Premier League

The news that is filling the British tabloids is that of a new agreement between Newcastle and Castore, former technical sponsor of Rangers Glasgow. The new signature puts an end to the over ten-year partnership between the Magpies and PUMA, but also opens the doors to a breath of freshness that was needed by the club, the city and the Premier League.

The story of Castore, a Liverpool-based sportswear brand, begins with a strong concept: "Walls are there to be climbed over". When in 2015 Tom and Phil Beahon decided to dedicate body and soul to their dream, abandoning young careers among cricket and football professionals, they would never have expected 5 years later to have historic Premier and Premiership teams among their customers. The walls referred to by Tom, the elder brother, have not yet been bypassed, but the project and the direction it is taking allows the brand to see a new horizon.

Murray's signing and the agreements with Rangers and Newcastle - with the latter only going into effect from the 2021-22 season - are tools that allow the brand to estimate £ 12.5 million in revenues at the end of 2019, with over 8 million coming from an e-commerce that is climbing rapidly. Although the project was born in 2016 on the web, just over two weeks ago the first flagship store was inaugurated at 31 King's Road, in the Chelsea district of London. But in the strategy of the Beahon brothers, one of the keystones is represented by the pop-up stores: "We want people to believe in the story of Castore. In a popup they can feel the product, touch and feel its quality, talk to our team. and learn more about who we are. The first tests have been very positive and have contributed a lot to increasing sales".

If this were not enough to testify the quality of the path and the product, the brand signed an agreement with the luxury stores Harrods, ready to host a space dedicated to Castore. From the Manchester City youth teams to the experiences among the pros in Spain for Tom, to the experience of Phil who firsthand touched the "religion" of English cricket, passing through the evenings spent doing market research on the field to understand how to enter in different markets - to date the brand is sold in over 50 countries around the world. Those walls have not yet been climbed, but the path taken is right even if unconventional.