Despite all the talk about tough times for UK retail, a surprisingly large number of major names have reported strong festive season trading. Premium performance-wear and athleisure brand Castore was the latest of them on Wednesday as it said it saw “a record trading period”.

Its “strongest-ever” sales performance came as Castore grew revenues 16% in December year on year and “as the sportswear market remained more resilient than other retail segments and consumers continue[d] to prioritise their health, wellbeing and fitness”. 

It noted that customers were “more organised” and pulled forward Christmas spending, with the weekend of 7 and 8 December seeing the highest footfall in stores.

Boxing Day was the largest individual revenue day with a majority of sales happening online and through the Castore app as shoppers stayed home to spend time with their families.

Dubai Mall remained Castore’s highest-revenue-generating store for the second consecutive year, as the brand continued to grow in the region and further internationally.

Product-wise, over 150,000 football shirts were sold in the final weeks before Christmas. Formula 1 products were also “standout performer[s]”, with McLaren and Red Bull sales growing by more than 20% year on year, “as the sport continued to benefit from growth in global interest as both teams performed strongly on track”. 

In fact, F1 remains “a key growth area for the business ahead of the new season starting in March, as Castore looks to lead the market and serve an ever-expanding fan base”.

It would be easy to assume from all this that most sales were to men but the company added that female product sales were up over 30%, “demonstrating the continued growth in women’s sport. There has been continued strong sales of team products across all women’s sports, whilst the Zone performance legging was the most in demand item, supported by the continued athleisure trend, which shows no sign of abating”.   

Overall, the best-selling Castore items were the Apex training T-shirts, signalling a rush to the gym post-Christmas. These retail at the higher end of the pricing range, “showing customers are willing to spend on premium products where they see performance benefits and value”. Importantly, that “reverses a trend seen in 2023 where lower-priced products were more favoured by customers”.

The company remains upbeat, despite rising costs, and plans to open five to 10 new stores this year. 

Co-founder Tom Beahon highlighted the challenging environment but said: “We remain focused on omnichannel, combining the best of digital, physical stores and third-party retail partners to maximise the reach of the Castore brand. Product innovation remains at the heart of Castore’s success and we are excited to launch a number of new ranges to customers and fans this year.

“We are pleased to see long-term partners and ambassadors like Sir Andy Murray – currently coaching Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open – continue to wear Castore, which again has a resilient, knock-on impact on demand for specific products, as well as our team partners’ continued success on and off the pitch.

“We are optimistic about 2025 despite the macro-economic uncertainties and are forecasting continued profitable growth both in the UK and international markets.”