Pathetic Quality From Castore

Newcastle is Castore's flagship club. We were obviously just a Guinea pig for them.

I have no great desire to defend Castore but, according to The Athletic, Castore are calling Newcastle their "flagship English club".


The article is behind their paywall but that quote comes up when you search those words.

It looks like the word "English" is being dropped when it's reported elsewhere.
 
I bought the top two weeks ago I’ve yet to wear it every time I look at this thread I get up and check it again.
I‘ve seen a few posts on social media about Adidas kit having similar issues probably the same sweat shops that knock out most kit. Pity we didn’t stick with Hummel they’re stuff was great (I know about the elite issues) just pointing out the merchandise was very good.
The Hummel stuff was outstanding in terms of quality, anything I've had from them is still in excellent condition in particular the orange top, it's as good as new.
 
The Castore article from the Athletic


“The ‘%^*& me! deals’ are what we’re looking for,” says Thomas Beahon, co-founder of sportswear brand Castore. “This will make people sit back, take notice and think: ‘%^*& me! They’ve done Newcastle United? A new brand with a massive club like that?’ We’re not here to slowly work our way up, we want to be competing on the global stage.”

Bold words, indeed, particularly for a brand that many Newcastle fans had not even heard of until its new kit deal — an open secret for months — was officially confirmed on July 2. But boldness is very much the Castore way.

The words “Better Never Stops” are emblazoned on the steps inside Castore’s stylish headquarters, a constant reminder of the “brand ethos”. The fast-growing company has recently relocated from Liverpool to Manchester, taking over five floors at One Central Street. The decor is minimalist and modern, with black furniture contrasting white walls. Upstairs, sitting in his own spacious office, with slanted ceilings and beams, as if in the grandest of all loft conversions, Beahon declares: “We don’t want to get to a certain level and then sell out. Umbro and Reebok did that. We want to be the British sportswear brand that competes with the big boys.”

They have certainly expanded rapidly. Castore has existed for less than five years and yet it already counts Andy Murray, the former Wimbledon champion, the West Indies cricket side and Saracens, of rugby union, among its stable. Castore — pronounced “Cah-store”, with no extra syllable for the “e” — is a self-anointed “challenger brand”; a “genuine disruptor brand”, as Beahon puts it.

Rangers were their first foray into football last year, Wolverhampton Wanderers became their first Premier League outfit last month, yet it is Newcastle who they view as their “flagship English club”.

“There is no more important deal for us than this one. Financially, given what we have committed to this, we have to get it right,” Beahon says, referring to the “multi-year deal” that Castore has signed with Newcastle to provide bespoke kits and to run the club’s physical and online retail operations. The Athletic understands the length is six years, making it the most lucrative kit package in Newcastle’s history.

“Coming into the competitive football-kit market, the deals we’re going to be able to do will involve risks because the biggest brands don’t want us in their market. With Newcastle, there’s risk involved, but I also think the upside is significant. I’m an entrepreneur and I can’t be fearful; it’s in my DNA to take risks.”

To partner with Newcastle, or more precisely Mike Ashley’s Newcastle, is certainly a risk. Thousands of season-ticket holders have walked away and many more are refusing to buy club merchandise until Ashley moves on.

“The situation at Newcastle is something we considered very deeply,” Beahon says. “To be frank, this is my money. When making this level of commitment, you do a hell of a lot of due diligence. We’ve looked at the club, its history, what’s going on at the moment, what may or may not happen, and we’ve run scenarios based on those different eventualities.”

Of course, the big “what if?”, as it has been for almost two years, is the prospective takeover. When Castore entered negotiations with Newcastle, Ashley’s tenure looked to be ending and an exciting new era arriving. A year on, Ashley (begrudgingly) remains.


If there’s a takeover, things will look very different,” Beahon says, stressing he has no insider knowledge about the likelihood of a regime change occurring. “But this is a long-term partnership for us and I’m confident things will look very different regardless. The biggest attraction to Newcastle was the size and passion of the fanbase. We know there’ve been issues but, ironically, that shows me just how passionate the fans are. Passion is the key ingredient and that got me comfortable with those clear uncertainties. I believe this club will look very different in a few years.”

Having replaced Ashley at Rangers and sold stock through Sports Direct, Castore has already been tainted with this association that they simply cannot shake off, even if Beahon insists once again that it is unfounded. “I know that at Newcastle people look at everything through a Mike Ashley lens,” he says. “But there is no story there. There is no correlation between Castore and Mike Ashley.”

The Ashley theme will be revisited but for Newcastle fans used to Puma and Adidas supplying the club’s kits since the 1990s, it is worth introducing the new manufacturer.

The Beahon brothers, who are Merseyside natives, are “failed professional” sportsmen to use Thomas’ words. His brother, Phil, was a cricketer at Cheshire, while Thomas played football for Tranmere Rovers and in Spain. “We’re both competitive and ambitious,” Thomas Beahon says. “The idea of being mediocre athletes didn’t really appeal to us, so we decided to start a business we’d be passionate about.”

With the international sportswear market dominated by American and German firms, the siblings felt there was a clear gap for a “premium British brand”. They took inspiration from Castor, the twin half-brother of Pollux in Greek mythology, who was gifted immortality by Zeus. The winged logo is inspired by both Bentley, “a premium British brand”, and the Chicago Bulls’ “competitive mindset”.

They sourced high-quality fabrics, bespoke design teams and set about launching a digitally-led sportswear business, aided by their parents, who remortgaged their house. “Owning a business is stressful enough,” says Beahon, “but if you know your mum and dad are going to be homeless if it goes wrong, that focuses the mind.”

There have been a “number of big moments” along the way but partnering with Murray, who became an investor at a discounted rate, was pivotal. “That gave us a significant jump overnight because, frankly, we didn’t have much money at that point,” says Beahon.

That only fuelled their desire to expand. “My running joke is that, ‘It’s billion or bust’, Beahon says. “We want to be a billion-pound company, to be a global player.”
 
Castore article from Athletic part 2


Breaking into football, therefore, was essential. Investment from the billionaire Issa brothers, Mohsin and Zuber, gave Castore the capital to strike a deal with Rangers. “We could have taken on the market organically, but we wanted to jump in at a high level, to show we were serious,” Beahon says. “We’re fortunate that Rangers has been a great success and our profile is rising. The key for us now is to be ambitious but with discipline. We can’t just do every deal, we need to pick the right ones.”

There have been conversations with teams in Serie A and La Liga, and other English clubs, but just as COVID-19 struck the UK in spring 2020, negotiations started with Newcastle. “Fans, history and heritage, and ambition are the three criteria” that Beahon insists attracted Castore to the club, the third of which will raise eyebrows given that Ashley’s Newcastle has largely appeared devoid of aspiration.

“What I mean by ‘ambition’ is the instinctive feel within the club and fanbase that it should be far higher than 12th every season,” says Beahon, whose brother was a St James’ season-ticket holder in the Leazes End while studying law at Newcastle University in 2012. “At Rangers, people warned me that if Celtic did ’10 in a row’ then it’d be a disaster to be associated with Rangers. I took the view that Rangers is such a big club, my instinct tells me at some point they’ll be back. I’ve got a similar feeling with Newcastle. I can’t define when or how, but I’m convinced Newcastle will rise again.”

Some fans expressed frustration that the Castore partnership was announced without a big kit reveal. However, excitement grew as players were pictured in the new blue training kit — “that is bespoke too, like everything we’ll make for the club,” Beahon stresses, which marks a departure from the Puma era — and sources close to squad members have told The Athletic that they are impressed by the quality and look of the garments.

“The kit launch is a special moment and we wanted to give it its own air time,” Beahon says. The home strip, which gives a nod to the “Entertainers” era and seen by The Athletic, will be released on Saturday, before the away and third kits are unveiled in the coming weeks. In a progressive move, the Newcastle women’s team also feature in the promotional material.

“The first home kit is huge for us and we’ve approached it with, ‘heritage meets innovation’,” Beahon says, revealing that the strip was developed in “close collaboration” with the club but that, in future years, “Castore will engage directly with fans on designs”. “We want to respect the glory years Newcastle fans are proud of and evoke those special memories, but also be innovative and provide technical, high-performance fabrics. Hopefully, fans will see that in the kit.”

Castore is unashamedly “premium”, which is often reflected in the price. But Beahon insists that the cost of replica jerseys will not increase, although there will also be a more expensive “pro kit”, too. “The price point for replica kits is sensitive and it won’t change.” Does that affect quality, then? “No,” he replies. “The high quality we promise on all our products will be shown in Newcastle kits.”

At Rangers, there were early issues with deliveries, products and demand. Now that Castore has expanded rapidly, will more problems arise? “There were teething problems with Rangers,” Beahon says. “But that was a deal we signed in February (2020) and launched in June. COVID also struck. And it was our first major football deal. We sold 100,000 jerseys in the first few days and that was a huge step up. Since then, we’ve massively invested and increased the size of our distribution partners, personnel, factories. We’re far better set-up to ensure those issues don’t happen again this year.”

Still, the question remains, why should Newcastle fans think this is a good deal for their club?

“First, financially, there’s a significant investment going in, which is clearly important,” Beahon says. Without going into “commercially sensitive” specifics, he explains how Castore has paid Newcastle a “significant rights fee”, will provide kit for all levels of the club (male, female and academy), and royalties and bonuses. There is no “minimum guarantee” of a buyback of merchandise for the club, as is commonplace. Instead, Castore is operating both the official store and the website on Newcastle’s behalf. The club is “heavily incentivised” to help increase sales. This is different to the “club-manufacturer model” agreed with Wolves, where China is the plus point for Castore. With Newcastle, it is their domestic and global support base.

“The club shop is still a Newcastle store, it just happens to be operated by Castore,” Beahon says, again stating profits will be shared with the club. Newcastle’s revenue share will increase once “certain targets (unit sales) are met”.

“We believe St James’ should have a store equivalent to those at Anfield and Stamford Bridge which, to be blunt, they just don’t,” he continues. “Just as we’re improving the products and making them bespoke, we’re doing exactly the same with the retail experience, both physical and online. Allan Saint-Maximin is a huge draw in France, but Newcastle sells virtually nothing in France; we want to change that and improve the experience for fans at home and abroad.”

Nothing “radical” can happen to the club store or the website without Newcastle’s permission, he stresses. “They remain the club’s brand and that will never change.” As well as opening a Castore retail store in central Newcastle’ Monument Mall, there are plans to reintroduce a club shop into the city centre, too, “hopefully during the first season”.

The stores will house replica kits, training wear, as well as “anthem jackets”, lifestyle-related products, a golf range, and collaborations with fashion brands “to do something creative” are in the pipeline. “There’s a lot for fans to look forward to,” Beahon says. “We want to get them excited again.”

Still, following Ashley at Rangers and now joining him at Newcastle. Is there really no relationship?

“The truth is there’s none,” Beahon says, willing to address the question but frustrated this connection lingers. “Ashley is not a shareholder in Castore. The Reuben Brothers aren’t investors. The answer is definitively no. I have all of my investors’ numbers, I know them on a first-name basis, and I don’t have Ashley’s number in my phone. We’ve partnered with Rangers and Newcastle because of the opportunity, the potential upside, and it’s nothing to do with Ashley.”

So, categorically, this is not a way of Ashley still having a back-door route into Newcastle if he sells? There is no involvement with Castore? “No,” Beahon says firmly. “Absolutely none.”

Even so, when partnering with Rangers and Wolves, Castore spoke of clubs “aiming for European football”, and their driving principle is to strive for “the best”. Ashley’s Newcastle has felt like the antithesis of that so, if the takeover does not happen, can Castore really expect to make a significant return?

“Nothing is guaranteed in elite sport,” Beahon says. “But, given the information available, how many shirts Newcastle have sold previously, how much I believe we can improve everything, then there is huge room to grow. Call it an entrepreneur’s instinct, but that’s what I believe.

“The word with Newcastle is ‘potential’. We’re confident it’ll work because the fanbase is there, the infrastructure is there. We all know what’s going on in the background. There’s a reason why those guys are looking to invest in the club and it’s because they see the potential in exactly the same way we do. That’s why we want Newcastle as our flagship club, our number one. And it just has to work.”
 
After reading the Athlete article The Beahon's really do sound like the Del Boys of sport that got lucky.

Lucky we as a football club were in the position we were, everybody needs a bit of luck and goodness they got it in our football club.

As someone said above, we were the Guinea pig, that is all so very evident now.

I suppose you could like it to, buying a House, you buy one, make a bit of money and then move on to a better one, (In us though, they are making a hell of a lot of money) that one being as the Beahon boys have said is Newcastle United, their flagship club. Talk about being kicked in the baws.

That's business though.

Get in, use and abuse, make your money and move on, regardless of the quality of your product, or how many recipients you have pished off as a result in the meantime.

Who remembers Alan Sugar's Amstrad electrical company that hit the streets back at the start of the 80's. His flagship model being the encased music Hi/Fi and bloody hell the quality of that thing was ridiculously poor, but look at him now, a billionaire.

The similarities between The Beahon's and Sugar are all too familiar, get your product out there, regardless of the quality as the market is crying out for it.

The Beahon's like Sugar took full advantage of that market, regardless of the quality of their garments.

Goodness, this thread being 128 pages long tells you that. So many complaints, where issues are not getting resolved. Castore's solution is to send the garment back for a replacement, if one is available.

And that raises the question of postage. As I said on another thread, it cost me £14.20 to have my sons home top delivered. First order was sent back as his top was snagged. £5.50 first order, £3.20 to send it back and again £5.50 to have a replacement sent out again, £14.50 in total.

And that is it as far as I'm concerned.

I have lost the little bit of confidence I had left remaining regarding Castore and the quality of their products and the service they provide.

Since the new 150 years range came out we have spent the best part of £600 on new bits. but that's it now. The quality can not be trusted. I've got the £95 Anthem Jacket and after the issue my son had with his Champions top, I'm not confident one bit regarding the ironed on Rangers and Castore badges staying in the condition you would expect from a garment of this nature.

So many issues regarding Castore and their way of resolving their poor quality is like I said, for us to send the garment we have an issue with back for a replacement, if one is available, in the hope that the replacement is of better quality.

That is not the way to run a Premier Sport clothing company and to be perfectly honest, with the amount of complaints we as supporters have in relation to the quality of the products we are buying you would expect to hear our boards reaction to them, but no, nothing.

By wearing Castore products, we are representing Rangers Football Club and if the garment is of poor quality, that's a reflection on our club and that is something you'd expect our board to take notice of, but again apparently this is not the case.

And that is very disappointing also.
 
See the training tracksuit pants, how do they size comparably to something like Adidas Tiro / Tango tracksuit pants?
 
Sadly the club seem to be ignoring all the quality control issues that are getting highlighted on here on a daily basis. Club1872 better be looking into this on our behalf, if they don't who will?
 
Ashley is a shareholder in Umbro.

Excluding Nike, the manufacturer making the best kits at the moment is, IMO, Macron.

Re Macron - My kid loved Ejaria whilst he was up here so he bought a Reading top with Ejaria on the back of it last season with his Xmas money.

The difference in terms of quality and durability compared to the Castore kit is staggering. It's not even close. We're being short changed at every turn by the Brookside Brothers.
 
Got the usual email today for a return for a refund or keep it for 20% off next purchase.

Backs covered even if people take this because the mark up is higher than every other club they produce it seems so even doing that still make the money
Good point
 
I know it's been discussed already on this thread but the more I read the more I suspect that Castore is some kind of sick joke which is actually operated by the fat cockney with the two barrow boys acting as a front.
 
I know it's been discussed already on this thread but the more I read the more I suspect that Castore is some kind of sick joke which is actually operated by the fat cockney with the two barrow boys acting as a front.

I don’t think that’s the case, I just think they’re in way above their head.

Rangers created part of the issue, so they’re digging in and hoping it comes good.

Robertson and Bisgrove wouldn’t look too clever if they backed out now.

The silence and subsequent acceptance from Rangers is the disappointing element.

I got lucky, my top, on the face of it, is a good one. But, it’s a lottery, which is a sad indictment of the partnership.
 
I know it's been discussed already on this thread but the more I read the more I suspect that Castore is some kind of sick joke which is actually operated by the fat cockney with the two barrow boys acting as a front.

They Beahon brothers have denied it upmteen times. If they were lying and the fat prick was involved then I'm sure he/they would have been "outed" by now.

Also, we're a year down the line and Rangers must be getting the money that they're contractually entitled to otherwise again, I'm sure we'd have heard about it by now.

Them linking up with Newcastle does feel uneasy though.
 
Can you tell me please why the Rangers "store" is more expensive than the Rangers "megastore" for the new home kit? Do Rangers own both stores? https://www.rangersmegastore.com/all-rangers https://shop.rangers.co.uk/collections/home-kit-mens
No idea mate, I got mine from the Rangers Store via a link sent from Rangers. I never even knew there was 2!

But I can’t complain about the quality of my home shirt. Other than the £65 price, but that’s just the going rate these days sadly.
 
I don’t think that’s the case, I just think they’re in way above their head.

Rangers created part of the issue, so they’re digging in and hoping it comes good.

Robertson and Bisgrove wouldn’t look too clever if they backed out now.

The silence and subsequent acceptance from Rangers is the disappointing element.

I got lucky, my top, on the face of it, is a good one. But, it’s a lottery, which is a sad indictment of the partnership.
I sincerely hope that's the case but I've a nasty feeling that there's been some kind of wheeling and dealing because of the previous mess the club made with the SD contracts and I'm not convinced we're free of the previous constraints.
After all we've been told this before only to be taken to court for the umpteenth time by the fat cockney.
Money into the club is great but going by most of this thread it's at the expense of the supporters and the fact that the club owned by the fat cockney are now in with Castore smells rank.

I really hope I'm talking rubbish.
 
What makes me think the fat lady's front bottom is involved is that the wolves gear is cheaper we are being fleeced but my who me think its ashley we need answers now and as for Newcastle United being there flagship club there no in the same league as us regarding size of clubs.
 
What makes me think the fat lady's front bottom is involved is that the wolves gear is cheaper we are being fleeced but my who me think its ashley we need answers now and as for Newcastle United being there flagship club there no in the same league as us regarding size of clubs.
I believe the Wolves gear is outsourced.
 
From the start, the Beahon brothers have sounded like a couple of timeshare salesmen that you would see getting ripped on 'That's Life!' back in the day.

Fortunately the Castore deal does seem to be genuinely good for the club - it is just a shame to see so many Rangers supporters being short-changed by this over-priced and sub-par (no pun intended) product.

Hopefully the next kit deal is with a proper manufacturer.
 
No idea mate, I got mine from the Rangers Store via a link sent from Rangers. I never even knew there was 2!

But I can’t complain about the quality of my home shirt. Other than the £65 price, but that’s just the going rate these days sadly.
Thanks for the reply pal, think i kind of figured it out now.
 
My training shorts, both pairs, from last season have finally succumbed to the castore peeling off etc .... gutter :(
 
I had very high hopes with Castore in the beginning even tho I hadn’t or anyone else had ever heard of them. Quite liked the idea of a premium British brand doing the kits, training gear etc and expected the gear to be a bit more expensive but up market decent quality.

From what I have read on hear it’s been far from decent quality or service.
 
In years to come when we've got out of Castore, we will look back at the Castore years and cringe.
I’ve just washed circa 20 rangers shirts from 2002 up to the championship season. Every one of them is pristine except the black puma with the blackthorn which is peeling.
They were all worn I’d hazard at least 20 times more than my third shirt from last year and they all look newer.
It’s scandalous really.
 
I’ve just washed circa 20 rangers shirts from 2002 up to the championship season. Every one of them is pristine except the black puma with the blackthorn which is peeling.
They were all worn I’d hazard at least 20 times more than my third shirt from last year and they all look newer.
It’s scandalous really.
I have tops going back to 92/93 season, that I wore to games, 5s, and about the house for years. All washed time and time again and not a single bit of damage or peeling. Castore are a joke and are ripping the fans off.
 
Went back to the shop today to size up my top and there was 4 customers at the tills doing exactly the same. Stock in the shop (given that it’s been open for a year now) is pathetically low - unless you want a home top, 1/4 zip training top, the new training top, mug or keyring then you might as well not go. Expected a full range of merch that we’ve had for 40 years now - jewellery, framed pictures, bears, rubber ducks, dog bowls and a whole amount of other tat missing. The shop has the feel of the old Xmas store that used to pop up in Airdrie each year, basically enough stock to cover the next few days. Still very unconvinced by Castore when you see the nick of tops being sent out without crests and shoddy embroidery
I thought the shop was poor. I was really surprised at how little was on sale. Home strip everywhere but very little else.
Don't get me wrong, I got the home top I wanted for the boy but given I'm your typical impulse buyer, the lack of little else meant I wasn't tempted to increase my spend.
Lost opportunity I feel for the club.
 
That’s not true.
I think it is true. Who heard of Castore before the Rangers deal? Very small minority. People I know still hadn’t heard of Castore until I mentioned it. No matter if it’s Adidas, Castore or anyone else it’s still very disappointing. The Rangers support deserve better.
 
I had very high hopes with Castore in the beginning even tho I hadn’t or anyone else had ever heard of them. Quite liked the idea of a premium British brand doing the kits, training gear etc and expected the gear to be a bit more expensive but up market decent quality.

From what I have read on hear it’s been far from decent quality or service.
I'm the same. Would love us to have a premium British brand supplying us with bespoke kits and training/casual wear.

Unfortunately, in my experience at least (and I appreciate many have had positive experiences), the quality/service has been abysmal.

I will continue to buy merch to support our club financially, and hope that the quality improves, but the club is taking the fans for mugs by not at least acknowledging the problems.
 
I think it is true. Who heard of Castore before the Rangers deal? Very small minority. People I know still hadn’t heard of Castore until I mentioned it. No matter if it’s Adidas, Castore or anyone else it’s still very disappointing. The Rangers support deserve better.

You started saying nobody had heard of Castore. You then replied saying it was the truth and in the next sentence you said a small minority had, I can’t keep up. :))

For what it’s worth, loads of us had heard of them because of their partnership with Andy Murray. I’m not saying because of that they are massive but to say nobody had heard of them just because you hadn’t is poor generalisation.
 
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