U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer has announced a new strategic investment in the fast-growing brand platform The Sports Edit. The Sports Edit was founded in 2015 by Nick Paulson-Ellis, who has grown the company by focusing on bespoke brand curation in activewear. The Sports Edit is constantly adding new and innovative brands to the site that focus on premium sportswear, athleisure wear and yoga wear. Paulson-Ellis will continue to lead the company independently as CEO and will be supported in its growth by M&S’ investment and access to infrastructure and capabilities.
The investment is a continuation of M&S’ strategic focus on activewear, a market that is now worth nearly £900m (€1.07bn) after growing 35 percent in the last two years (according to Kantar Worldpanel). In this context, M&S’ activewear brand Goodmove has become the largest in-house womenswear brand with a loyal customer base in two years. M&S has identified The Sports Edit as a complementary e-commerce platform that is well-positioned in the growing activewear market, in part because of its highly engaged customer base, the company said. As part of its brand strategy, M&S employs a number of models, including wholesale agreements, exclusive collaborations and investments (including a minority stake in Nobody’s Child), and seed capital for small brands through the True Fund. The brand strategy also includes select acquisitions such as Jaeger and now The Sports Edit.
While financial details of the investment were not disclosed, M&S said in a press release that the terms of the deal mean Marks & Spencer will eventually own 100 percent of the brand.
Photo: Goodmove
