The Manchester premium sportswear brand is borrowing at scale to accelerate a global retail rollout, targeting £300m in annual revenues – a growth ambition its parent company’s most recent accounts show comes at a significant near-term cost.
J.Carter Sporting Club, parent of the Manchester sportswear brand Castore, reported rising revenues even as losses widened in its latest filed accounts for the 18 months to Aug. 3, 2025, a period that also encompassed Castore’s acquisition of heritage apparel brand Belstaff.
The company’s response is to borrow more and expand faster. A £90 million (€105m) revolving credit facility arranged with HSBC UK, BNP Paribas, and Lloyds was confirmed on May 5, providing the financing structure to back new UK store openings and international entry into the Middle East and Asia.
£300m revenue target frames the commercial ambition
Supported by the new facility, Castore is targeting revenues exceeding £300 million (€351m) in the next financial year. The brand currently operates 17 stores across the UK, three outlets in Ireland, and one in Rotterdam, and plans to add further UK locations alongside its international push.
Beyond physical retail, investment in digital infrastructure and analytics is also part of the plan. According to Retail Times, the funding will support Castore’s broader effort to improve the purchasing experience across its growing global customer base.
Investor base underpins the growth thesis
Castore was founded in 2015 by brothers Tom and Phil Beahon and has assembled a roster of backers that combines high-profile credibility with deep pockets. Tennis player Andy Murray, the billionaire Issa brothers, and Ineos—the conglomerate led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a minority owner of Manchester United—have all provided backing, with the Ineos commitment described as a “significant strategic investment” when announced last year.
The brand holds sponsorship partnerships with professional teams and athletes across football, rugby, cricket, and tennis—arrangements that generate recurring visibility at the elite level and, in management’s stated view, function as a commercial engine for mainline consumer brand growth. Beahon has consistently framed the professional sports business as a platform from which international retail demand can be developed.
