Gymshark
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedGymshark is a British global fitness-apparel brand and online retailer built around performance clothing, social-media communities, and influencer-led marketing.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Gymshark is a British athletic-apparel brand and online retailer headquartered in Solihull, England. Founded in 2012 by school friends Ben Francis and Lewis Morgan, the business began while both founders were studying at university. Its earliest activity involved online drop-shipping of bodybuilding supplements, but the company soon moved toward designing, making, and selling its own fitness clothing. The brand’s early production was highly entrepreneurial and direct. Francis used a sewing machine and screen printer bought with savings of approximately £1,000 to make garments in his parents’ garage. Gymshark initially served the bodybuilding and gym-training community, selling products such as vests, T-shirts, hoodies, and tracksuits. Its breakthrough came in 2013 at the BodyPower fitness trade show at Birmingham’s NEC, where it reportedly sold all its stock on the first day. The company’s Luxe tracksuit subsequently spread rapidly on Facebook and generated approximately £30,000 in sales within 30 minutes. As sales grew, the founders left university to work on the business full time. Gymshark’s distinctive growth model combined direct-to-consumer e-commerce, limited product releases, community building, and partnerships with fitness personalities and online creators. Rather than initially relying on a large physical-store network, the company used social platforms and its own online stores to reach customers internationally. This approach helped Gymshark develop a recognizable community-oriented identity in a category traditionally dominated by large sportswear companies. Its marketing has included influencer partnerships, training content, events, product collaborations, and fitness-focused digital services. The company expanded its international infrastructure during the late 2010s. It opened an office in Hong Kong in 2019 and established the Gymshark Lifting Club, a gym and innovation hub, at its Solihull headquarters that September. In August 2020, General Atlantic acquired a 21% stake for £275 million, valuing Gymshark at approximately £1.25 billion. The investment supported further international expansion while the business remained privately held. Gymshark operates online stores serving international markets and has reported a presence in more than 230 countries. By 2025, the company reported a global community of more than 10 million customers, over 18 million social-media followers, more than 900 employees, and 14 international online stores. Although e-commerce remains central to the business, Gymshark began developing a physical retail presence with a Covent Garden pop-up in 2020 and its first permanent store on London’s Regent Street in October 2022. Stores later opened at Westfield Stratford City and Westfield White City, followed by a Trafford Centre location in Greater Manchester in July 2025. Its assortment covers men’s and women’s training apparel, including leggings, shorts, tops, workout vests, hoodies, tracksuits, and related fitness clothing. The brand originally had a strongly male bodybuilding orientation, but women represented approximately two-thirds of sales by 2020 according to the referenced material. Gymshark has also broadened its community and product proposition through a fitness app, modest activewear, creator partnerships, and collaborations with consumer brands in fitness, wellness, food, and lifestyle categories. Gymshark’s positioning is based on accessible performance apparel, community participation, digital discovery, and creator culture rather than heritage luxury or elite-team sponsorship alone. Its rapid rise has also brought legal and reputational challenges, including disputes concerning ambassador contracts and a reported claim by influencer Alix Earle over an allegedly terminated sponsorship arrangement. Gymshark denied that a binding contract existed in that dispute. In 2025, the company proposed a restructuring that reportedly placed almost one-third of its workforce at risk of redundancy, indicating pressure to align its organization with its next phase of growth.
History
Gymshark was established in June 2012 by Ben Francis and Lewis Morgan, school friends who began developing the business while studying at university. The company’s first commercial activity involved drop-shipping bodybuilding supplements through an online store. It then shifted toward proprietary clothing, reflecting an opportunity to serve the expanding online fitness and bodybuilding community with products designed specifically for training. The early business was operated with very limited infrastructure. Francis produced garments in his parents’ garage using a sewing machine and screen printer purchased with roughly £1,000 of personal savings. This model allowed Gymshark to make small quantities and sell directly to customers. In 2013, the company attended the BodyPower fitness trade show at the NEC in Birmingham. It sold out of its available stock on the opening day, giving the young business significant exposure. The Luxe tracksuit then gained substantial attention on Facebook and reportedly generated around £30,000 in sales in half an hour. As revenue reached approximately £250,000, Francis and Morgan left university and committed themselves to Gymshark. The company grew through a combination of online retail, product drops, visual branding, and relationships with fitness influencers. This strategy enabled it to reach customers without the extensive store estates and wholesale networks used by established sportswear companies. Gymshark’s social channels functioned not only as advertising outlets but also as spaces for training content, product discovery, and community identity. Morgan partially exited the operating business in 2016, retaining a 20% interest while concentrating on other ventures, including property development company Ernest Cole and fashion label Maniere De Voir. Gymshark continued to expand under Francis and its wider management team, moving from a garage-based operation into an international e-commerce business. International development accelerated in the late 2010s. Gymshark opened an 8,000-square-foot office in Hong Kong in 2019 and launched the Gymshark Lifting Club at its Solihull headquarters in September of that year. The Lifting Club served as both a training facility and an innovation hub, reinforcing the company’s connection to gym users and product development. In August 2020, General Atlantic bought a 21% minority stake for £275 million. The transaction valued Gymshark at approximately £1.25 billion and provided capital for international expansion while leaving the company privately held. During the same period, Gymshark broadened its customer base beyond its original male bodybuilding audience. By 2020, women accounted for approximately two-thirds of sales according to the referenced material. The company also expanded its creator network and developed apparel for a wider range of training and lifestyle needs. Gymshark launched a fitness app in August 2019 with free and premium plans. The app offered workouts, exercise demonstrations, and customizable training plans. Its home-training content became particularly relevant during COVID-19 lockdowns, when many customers could not access conventional gyms. The brand also introduced a modest collection in collaboration with influencer Leana Deeb. Although Gymshark remained primarily digital and direct to consumer, it gradually added physical experiences. A Covent Garden pop-up opened in February 2020, followed by the company’s first permanent store on Regent Street in London on 29 October 2022. Additional London stores opened at Westfield Stratford City and Westfield White City. In July 2025, Gymshark opened a store at the Trafford Centre, its first permanent location outside London. By 2025, Gymshark reported more than 10 million customers, over 18 million social-media followers, over 900 employees, 14 international online stores, and online reach extending to more than 230 countries. Its principal offices included Solihull, London, Hong Kong, and Denver. The business has continued to use collaborations and influencer marketing, partnering with personalities and brands across fitness, wellness, food, and lifestyle categories. The company has also faced scrutiny and commercial disputes. Former ambassador Nathaniel Massiah became involved in a dispute concerning alleged restrictions on promoting competing brands during a non-compete period. In a separate matter, Alix Earle alleged that Gymshark ended a sponsorship arrangement after controversy surrounding her public views; she sought damages, while Gymshark denied that a binding contract existed. In 2025, Gymshark proposed a restructuring that reportedly put almost one-third of its workforce at risk of redundancy. These developments marked a more challenging organizational phase after the brand’s rapid expansion.
- 2025
Restructuring and regional retail expansion
[1]Gymshark proposes a workforce restructuring and opens its first non-London store at the Trafford Centre.
- 2022
First permanent store opens
[1]Gymshark opens its first permanent retail store on Regent Street in London.
- 2020
General Atlantic invests in Gymshark
[1]General Atlantic acquires a 21% stake in a transaction valuing Gymshark at approximately £1.25 billion.
- 2019
International and community infrastructure expands
[1]Gymshark opens a Hong Kong office and launches the Gymshark Lifting Club in Solihull.
- 2016
Lewis Morgan partially exits
[1]Morgan reduces his operating involvement while retaining a 20% interest.
- 2013
The brand begins making its own apparel
[1]Gymshark moves from supplement drop-shipping into designing and manufacturing fitness clothing.
- 2013
BodyPower trade-show breakthrough
[1]Gymshark sells out its stock at BodyPower and gains viral attention for its Luxe tracksuit.
- 2012
Gymshark is founded
[1]Ben Francis and Lewis Morgan establish Gymshark while studying at university.
Products and positioning
Digitally native, community-led fitness and athleisure apparel positioned around accessible training performance, creator influence, and direct engagement with gym and wellness audiences.
Athletic apparel · 2013
Gymshark training apparel
Gymshark’s core range includes training tops, workout vests, T-shirts, shorts, leggings, sports bras, hoodies, and tracksuits. The assortment is designed for gym training, bodybuilding, conditioning, and athleisure use, with separate and unisex-oriented product concepts appearing across the brand’s collections.
Women’s athletic apparel
Gymshark women’s collections
Women’s products became an increasingly important part of Gymshark’s business as the company broadened beyond its original male bodybuilding audience. The range includes leggings, sports bras, tops, shorts, and other training garments, and reportedly represented approximately two-thirds of sales by 2020.
Modest athletic apparel
Gymshark modest collection
The modest collection was developed with influencer Leana Deeb and extended Gymshark’s offer to customers seeking more coverage in fitness clothing. It reflects the brand’s use of creator partnerships to identify and serve specific communities within the wider training market.
Digital fitness service · 2019
Gymshark Fitness App
Launched with free and premium plans, the Gymshark fitness app provides workout content, exercise video demonstrations, and customizable training plans. Its home-based workouts gained visibility during COVID-19 lockdowns, when many users were unable to train in conventional gyms.
Fitness facility and innovation hub · 2019
Gymshark Lifting Club
The Gymshark Lifting Club is a gym and product-innovation facility located alongside the company’s Solihull headquarters. It gives the brand a physical community venue and a setting connected to testing, training, and engagement with its core audience.
Controversies
2025
Alix Earle sponsorship dispute
Alix Earle alleged that Gymshark prematurely ended a promotional arrangement after online criticism related to her public views on Israel. She reportedly sought damages, while Gymshark denied that a binding contract existed.
2023
Dispute with former ambassador Nathaniel Massiah
Powerlifter and former Gymshark ambassador Nathaniel Massiah promoted a rival brand during a period that Gymshark treated as subject to contractual non-compete restrictions. His legal representatives challenged the restrictions and the proceedings were reportedly brought to a close.
2021
Sony Music sues Gymshark over alleged song use in advertisements
Sony Music and associated plaintiffs sued Gymshark, alleging that it used copyrighted songs without permission in social-media advertisements for fitness apparel and accessories. The complaint was filed in the Central District of California.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Home-training content during COVID-19 lockdowns
Global
Gymshark promoted digital workouts and home-based training through its fitness app and social channels while gym access was restricted in many markets.
Outcome. The app’s home-workout material gained popularity during lockdown conditions.
- 2013BodyPower and Luxe tracksuit social launch
United Kingdom
Gymshark used its appearance at the BodyPower fitness trade show to sell directly to the fitness community. The Luxe tracksuit then spread on Facebook, creating a rapid burst of demand and establishing the company’s early social-commerce model.
Outcome. The company reportedly sold out its trade-show stock and generated approximately £30,000 in sales within 30 minutes after the tracksuit gained viral attention.
Brand decisions
2025
Proposed workforce restructuringStrategyBackground
After a period of rapid international expansion, Gymshark proposed organizational changes intended to restructure the business.
Action taken
The proposal reportedly placed almost one-third of employees at risk of redundancy.
2022
Move into permanent physical retailStrategyBackground
Gymshark had primarily operated through direct-to-consumer e-commerce but had tested physical retail through a pop-up store.
Action taken
The company opened its first permanent store on London’s Regent Street and subsequently added further locations.
Aftermath
Gymshark developed a growing store network while retaining online retail as its main distribution model.
2020
Minority investment from General AtlanticM&ABackground
Gymshark sought capital to support continued international expansion while remaining privately owned.
Action taken
General Atlantic acquired a 21% stake for £275 million.
Aftermath
The transaction valued Gymshark at approximately £1.25 billion and provided funding for global growth.
Company valuation. £1.25 billion (August 2020 transaction)
2019
Launch of the Gymshark Fitness AppProduct launchBackground
Gymshark sought to extend its relationship with customers beyond apparel sales and into training content.
Action taken
The company introduced an app with free and premium plans, workouts, exercise demonstrations, and customizable training programs.
Aftermath
The app became especially relevant for home training during COVID-19 lockdowns.
2013
Shift from supplement drop-shipping to proprietary apparelStrategyBackground
The founders identified an opportunity to create clothing for the growing online bodybuilding and fitness audience.
Action taken
Gymshark began designing and producing its own garments rather than focusing on third-party supplement fulfillment.
Aftermath
The move established apparel as the company’s central business and enabled the brand to develop its own product identity.
Recent events
Reported
Sony Music sues Gymshark over alleged song use in advertisements[2]
Sony Music and associated plaintiffs sued Gymshark, alleging that it used copyrighted songs without permission in social-media advertisements for fitness apparel and accessories. The complaint was filed in the Central District of California.
Gymshark announced strategic partnership and investment from General Atlantic[3]
Gymshark announced a strategic partnership with General Atlantic as part of its first-ever fundraise. General Atlantic will take a 21 per cent stake, and the partnership is intended to support further growth and international expansion, specifically into North America.
Sources4 sources
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