British sportswear brand Castore has acquired a 75 percent controlling stake in Grenson, the 160-year-old handmade leather footwear brand. The deal follows its Belstaff acquisition and signals a shift toward a premium British heritage portfolio.
Castore, the Manchester-based premium sportswear brand founded in 2015, has acquired a controlling 75 percent stake in Grenson, the 160-year-old English leather footwear maker, according to corporate filings at Companies House. Tim Little, who bought Grenson in 2010 and led its turnaround over the following decade, has stepped down as a director along with his wife Julia Little.
The deal represents Castore’s second acquisition of a British heritage brand in roughly a year. In 2025, it agreed to buy Belstaff, the iconic British outerwear label, in a transaction that also brought investment from Ineos, the chemicals and sports group. The Grenson move reinforces that acquisition-led portfolio expansion has become a pillar of Castore’s growth strategy, alongside the elite sports kit deals that first built its profile.
From kit deals to a premium British brand portfolio
Castore’s original model was built on performance sportswear partnerships: it supplies kits to clubs including Everton, Burnley, Rangers and Preston North End, and has sponsorship agreements with McLaren and England Cricket.
That model generated revenue of £334m (€391m) in its most recent financial year, with EBITDA rising from £12.3m (€14.4m) to £30.8m (€36.0m). Its accounts, published in May 2026, said the company would “selectively advance” acquisition opportunities as the next phase of growth.
Grenson gives Castore a brand with a very different kind of credential. Founded by William Green in Rushden, Northamptonshire, in 1866, Grenson supplied boots to British forces in both world wars and was one of the first companies in the country to register a trademark. Under Little’s ownership, it expanded into women’s footwear and sneakers, opened stores in London and New York, and secured wholesale placements at Harrods, Selfridges and Liberty. The brand built a high-profile consumer following: its shoes have been worn by Daniel Craig and appeared in a BBC Doctor Who production.
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The Belstaff precedent and a portfolio in the making
The Belstaff acquisition gave Castore a foothold in premium outerwear rooted in motorcycling and adventure heritage. Grenson adds leather goods and heritage footwear craftsmanship, adjacent to but distinct from performance sportswear. Together, the two brands form the beginnings of a portfolio of underperforming British premium names where the heritage is intact but commercial execution has stalled.
This M&A playbook echoes the approach of Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which has pursued it at far greater scale across sportswear, lifestyle and footwear. Castore’s approach remains smaller and more selective.
No deal value has been disclosed.
