Gymshark:
THE FITNESS BRAND PHENOMENON
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hen Ben Francis created Gymshark out of his bedroom in his parents’ house, he never imagined that he would revolutionise fitness apparel forever. In 2012, aged just 19, Francis had already tried and failed with several enterprises, from selling licence plates to developing iPhone tracking apps, all while working as a Pizza Hut delivery driver to raise the capital to fund his entrepreneurial ambitions. Gymshark began as a health supplement brand, when as a full-time student, he had no funding and began to dropship products from other retailers until realising that the profit margins made his latest endeavour collapse before his very eyes. Undeterred, he discovered a gap in the market when he realised that the kinds of clothing he wanted to wear did not exist, so set about gathering his brother and friends, buying a screen printer and a sewing machine, building a global leader in the nights after work. Creating form-fitting workout clothes that were aimed at the general population versus the original clothing targeted specifically large bodybuilders was an innovation that gym-goers everywhere were screaming out for. Today, the company is a billion-dollar brand with year-on-year growth that has attracted investment interest from across the globe. But what was the secret to their success? In basic terms, Gymshark became the trend of the sportswear world. Taking advantage of the emergence of influencer marketing, the company utilised social media to find popular names in health and fitness, approaching trainers, athletes and personalities who were willing to spread the word in exchange for free clothing.
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While the reputation grew, they invested time and money into their own channels that saw their content connect with the target audience that identified with the need and the image the brand represented, feeling a personal attachment as the ‘aspirer’ type of customer now needed to wear the same, modern apparel that their heroes were now promoting online. Gymshark’s lack of physical locations means that all purchasing happens online, allowing them to react quickly to changing trends and guarantee their customers maintain their status as first adopters, also ensuring that they never have to raise prices to account for costs. This is all backed up by products which represent premium quality, rival any big name in the market and are loved by over 130 different countries globally. Financially the brand was always successful, with Francis and his then business partner Lewis Morgan making £250,000 in revenue after just the second year of trading, forcing the
pair to drop out of Aston University to focus on the business. Following this, in 2016, Gymshark was recognised as the UK’s fastest-growing company, with it featuring well on ‘The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 and making shrewd business endeavours by hiring industry experts who could help navigate and develop the growth of the business, such as former sports brand owner Steve Hewitt who was
