Rangers kit partners Castore have lost one of their biggest European partnerships in Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen.
Rangers are approaching a crossroads with the five-year Castore deal signed in 2020 set to come to an end this summer.
But despite Castore’s impressive performance in helping to re-energise Rangers’ troubled merchandising, the retailer continues to lose major contracts due to operational issues.
Bayer Leverkusen rip up Castore deal
Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen have officially announced a deal with New Balance after cutting their Castore retail contract short by two years.
According to Sports Pro Media, after Bayer Leverkusen were crowned German champions last season, Castore failed to deal with the immense kit demand.
This led to Bayer Leverkusen striking a €7m (£5.8m) per season deal with New Balance which will come into effect at the beginning of the 25/26 season.
This is another a major blow to Castore, who have already had Premier League deals with Newcastle United and Aston Villa ripped up due to production issues.
Bayer Leverkusen will be New Balance’s first partnership in the German Bundesliga.
“This relationship is the first of its kind for New Balance in German professional soccer and we as a club are honoured to be a strategic partner in this important step into an exciting future,” said Fernando Carro, Leverkusen’s chairman.
Rangers approach Castore crossroads
Rangers are reportedly set to adopt Umbro as the club’s new retailer from next season.
But the reported contract is complicated by the fact that Castore have the exclusive rights to produce Umbro gear in the UK.
Effectively, this means Rangers would still have a link to Castore who have, over the piece, been a positive partner for the Ibrox club.
Castore signed with Rangers in 2020 after a tumultuous period in the club’s merchandising which stems back to the financial collapse of 2012.
Rangers are about to enter a new era of retail after settling a court case with Hummel/Elite and finally putting an end to a decade of court battles over retail operations.
These have largely been defined by a high-profile battle with Mike Ashley and Sports Direct, to whom Rangers paid £6m to settle a dispute in 2022.
The relationship with Castore has also been mutually beneficial, with co-founder Tom Beahon recently describing the Rangers deal as ‘transformational’ for the retailer.
