Gymshark Ltd is a British multinational athletic apparel retailer headquartered in Solihull, England.[6] Founded in June 2012 by Ben Francis and Lewis Morgan, the company was initially focused on selling fitness supplements, before distributing its own line of fitness wear.
Gymshark reached a valuation of over £1 billion in 2020.[7][8] Gymshark sells online and it opened its first retail store on Regent Street, London.[9]
History
2012–2016
Gymshark was founded by school friends Ben Francis and Lewis Morgan in 2012.[10] Both aged 20, they set up the brand while studying at university.[11] Initially, Gymshark started drop shipping bodybuilding supplements through its website.[12] In 2013, it began designing and manufacturing its own fitness apparel.[13] Francis manufactured the garments in his parents' garage on a made-to-sell basis using a sewing machine and screen printer he purchased with £1,000 of savings.[14] During the first year, Gymshark made £500 in sales per day.[14]
In 2013, the company exhibited at the BodyPower fitness trade show at the NEC arena in Birmingham where it sold out of all its stock in the first day.[15] After the show, Gymshark's Luxe tracksuit went viral on Facebook, generating £30,000 of sales within 30 minutes.[15][13]
When the company's revenue reached £250,000, Francis and Morgan both left university to focus on Gymshark full time.[16] In 2016, Morgan partially exited the business retaining 20% of the company, to focus on his other ventures, property development company Ernest Cole and fashion label Maniere De Voir.[16]
2019–present
In 2019, the company opened a new 8,000 square foot office in Hong Kong.[17] In September that year, Gymshark launched the Gymshark Lifting Club, a gym and innovation hub, on the same site as its headquarters in Solihull.[18][19]
In August 2020, US private equity firm General Atlantic purchased a 21% stake in the company which valued the company in excess of £1 billion.[7][20][21] The company said it would use the funding to further expand globally.[7]
In November 2021, Gymshark appointed Gary Vaynerchuk as an advisor to the company's board.[22]
In February 2023, Gymshark appointed bodybuilder and influencer David Laid as creative director.[23]
In March 2025, it was reported that Alix Earle was suing the company for £775,500 in losses following allegations it cancelled a sponsorship agreement.[24]
Gymshark sells fitness apparel for men and women[27] including workout vests, hoodies, t-shirts and leggings.[28] While the brand was initially aimed at men, by 2020 approximately two thirds of sales were to women.[29]
The company does not rely substantially on brick-and-mortar stores but did open its first pop-up shop in London's Covent Garden in February 2020.[9][30] In 2022, Gymshark opened its first permanent store in Regent Street in London.[9]
In August 2019, Gymshark released a fitness app offering both free and premium plans.[31] The app provides a range of workouts, video demonstrations and customizable training plans. The home-based workouts gained popularity during the COVID-19 lockdowns.[32]
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