Castore in five-year deal with Apparel Brands for socks, underwear

Castore is continuing a very busy year on the business development front with another big announcement — it has just inked a five-year partnership with Apparel Brands Ltd to develop, manufacture and distribute Castore-branded socks and underwear across the UK and Europe.

Socks and underwear are major categories for any sports brand and there’s clearly a lot of potential in this area with those who’ve enthusiastically bought into its other training or athleisure clothing likely to be keen to tap into any category expansion it offers up.

The range will be developed for men, women, and youth, and will be rolled out with key retail partners. Design and collaboration between Castore and Apparel Brands is already under way.

The company said the deal “represents a natural evolution for Castore as it continues to expand its product offering across high-performance and lifestyle apparel categories”.

Apparel Brands will leverage its full-service brand platform, encompassing design innovation, product development, and international distribution to bring the new socks and underwear range to market. 

Castore’s commercial chief Danny Downs said: “Our partnership is a significant milestone as we continue to evolve our premium apparel offering for customers. Socks and underwear are fundamental layers for athletes and everyday consumers alike, and we’re confident that Apparel Brands’ expertise will help us deliver excellence in both innovation and distribution.”

The company has had something of a meteoric rise in recent years and as well as opening stores and winning a raft of sports club licenses, it recently became the new owner of high-end brand Belstaff.