Rangers retail partners Castore have set their sights on world domination as they prepare to launch a £25m deal with the England Cricket team.
Priding themselves on being a disruptor brand, Castore have emerged strongly over the last seven years as genuine sporting competition to global giants like Nike, Adidas and Puma.
But whilst Rangers acted as the retailer’s springboard into the world of football, the retailer has made no bones in the past about its status in the beautiful game.
When it comes to football Castore are about supplementing a need to specific clubs with European ambitions who feel the attentions of the so-called big three are with Europe’s elite.
It’s a strong business model and has already seen them partner Rangers, Newcastle United and Wolves in the footballing arena, with five more set to follow next season and beyond.
But in cricket the landmark £25m Castore deal with the England side kicks in this April and is set to last an astonishing 10 years.
According to the Times, the now-Manchester based brand pipped established sporting retailers like Umbro, Slazenger and New Balance to the contract.
Rangers retailers Castore targeting cricket domination after England deal
It is Castore’s latest foray into the world of cricket after signing a deal with the West Indies early on in their sporting goods revolution as well as deals with Kent men’s and women’s squads and one with England international Jos Buttler.
For co-founder and one-time semi-professional cricket Tom Beahon, Castore see opportunities in cricket that don’t exist elsewhere and they’re passionate about dominating the sport.
“Nike, Adidas and Puma, do not compete in [cricket] anywhere near as fiercely as they do in football,” says Tom Beahon [Financial Times].
“That leaves an opening for me.
“We think there’s a huge opportunity for Castore to become the brand of cricket at a global level and, realistically, that would not be achievable in football, for example, purely because it’s so competitive.”
With ambitions to have fans of cricket clubs more readily wear kits as football supporters do for their teams, this move is big for Castore but also for cricket in England and beyond.
As the sport reaches a transformational stage, the Rangers retailers are clearly proud to be a driving force and this is their latest step into becoming major players in sporting retail.
Meanwhile, a former England youth international remains in Rangers’ plans despite links to a team of Premier League hopefuls in January.