Who are Castore founders Tom Beahon and Phil Beahon? How the sportswear giant became a £1 billion company
SPORTSWEAR giant Castore was first founded by brothers Tom and Phil Beahon back in 2016.
Since then, the brand has become a £1 billion company. But who are Tom and Phil Beahon? From the life of the Beahon brothers to Castore’s eye-watering fortune – here’s everything you need to know.
Who is Tom Beahon?
The Beahon brothers first set up the premium label, Castore in 2016, from their kitchen table – after becoming frustrated at the lack of high-quality men’s sportswear in the market.
One of the founders behind the emerging sportswear label is ex-Tranmere Rovers youth teamer, Tom Beahon.
Despite the company’s huge success over the years, Tom has remained humble, and in 2023, the co-founder shared a glimpse of his Castore career and told of how he still drives his old car.
Tom told the Mirror: “I am still the proud owner of a white VW Polo that must be seven, eight years old.
“I still drive that. I’ve not been on holiday for a while. Neither my brother nor I are massively materialistic people.
“We get into the office at 5.30 in the morning and don’t leave until after eight, nine in the evening, so there isn’t a lot of time to buy stuff.
However, it does allow you look after the people that you care about, your family.
Tom Beahon
“Our mum and dad remortgaged their house when we started the company and that was a big, big deal.
“So we bought them a nice house in a nice area 18 months ago, so I guess it came full circle.”
Who is Phil Beahon?
Prior to becoming a Castore co-founder, Phil enjoyed a career as a former semi-pro cricketer.
In May 2023, it was reported that the brothers jointly control just over half of the company – giving them a theoretical paper worth of £382million, or £191million each.
Who else owns Castore?
Aside from the Beahon brothers, a number of notable names also hold a stake in Castore.
In September 2023, it was reported that those on the list of Castore shareholders include:
- Monte Group (Jersey) Ltd (controlled by billionaire Asda owners Mohsin and Zuber Issa)
- Michael Needley (former partner at Sovereign Capital)
- Andy Murray (tennis star)
- Anna Singh (co-founder of womenswear knitwear brand Chinti & Parker)
- Tom Singh (founder of New Look)
- Barrijag Pty Ltd Ata Handley Family Trust
- John Treharne (founder of The Gym Group)
- Jacques De Bruin (former chief operating officer at PureGym)
- Arnaud Massenet (co-founder of Net-a-Porter)
- Jeremy Duggan (President at Multiverse)
- Joann McPike (founder of Think Global School)
- Robert Senior (former CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi and partner at Redrice Ventures)
- John Paskin (technology lead at Redrice Ventures and founder of Commodity Flow)
Also included on the list is co-founder of Brand Learning Group Mhairi McEwan, CEO of Mitie Phil Bentley, global financial services group Fiduchi Trustees, and Brian Scurrah – the co-founder of PureGym.
Other investors involved in Castore are Andrew Sutcliffe, Julian Richmond-Watson, Philip Cuff, Eric Fellner, Fred Grainger, Jack Eden.
Graham Hill, William Roberts, Thomas Walker, James Riley, Matthew Lester, Richard Ahern, and Andrew Rhodes, are also among those who are linked with the sportswear giant.
How did Castore become a £1 billion company?
Since launching in 2016, Castore has enjoyed sporting success.
The brothers brand has gone from signing its first factory deal to clinching huge kit deals with Premiership football teams, the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
The booming company, which counts Andy Murray among its investors, has seen England’s men and women cricketers wear Castore’s winged logo.
As well as this, Castore also works with Formula 1 team McLaren, Premiership rugby side Saracens and a growing roster of football clubs, including Rangers, Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Who have Castore collaborated with?
Aside from the above, the brand has added Sevilla in Spain, Bayer Leverkusen in Germany and Dutch outfit Feyenoord to its list of clients.
While being mainly online, Castore’s success has since seen the brand open up a string of shops.
Tom explained: ”I have always believed that people enjoy the social aspect of shopping, it’s something a lot want to do on a Saturday.
”People can touch and feel and try on the products, and that’s something you can’t replicate online.”
The entrepreneur also revealed that he wants Castore to be the world’s “number one premium sportswear brand” – taking on the likes of Adidas and Nike.