GYMSHARK

Gymshark is the value play of the two. It delivers strong, gym-focused performance at a lower entry point, and its seamless lines compete well for everyday training, while Lululemon tends to edge ahead on refined finish and customer-service network. If you want capable kit without the premium price, Gymshark makes sense; if you prize the most polished construction, the gap narrows but Lululemon still leads for many.

Quality has improved a lot as the brand has scaled. Its seamless ranges use knit-to-shape technology that minimises seams and boosts flexibility, and reviewers note that recent gains in fabric resilience and stitching have narrowed the gap with pricier rivals, especially for gym-centric use. It is best thought of as dependable, performance-led activewear rather than luxury sportswear.

Gymshark is a British fitness-apparel brand best known for two things: its seamless training kit and its influencer-driven growth. It sells workout vests, hoodies, t-shirts and leggings for men and women, and although it started aimed at men, by 2020 roughly two-thirds of sales were to women. Its rise was powered by online sales and social media rather than a big store estate.

Gymshark was founded in June 2012 by school friends Ben Francis and Lewis Morgan, both 20 and still at university. It began by drop-shipping bodybuilding supplements, then in 2013 moved into designing and making its own fitness apparel, with Francis sewing and screen-printing garments in his parents' garage on a machine bought with £1,000 of savings. In year one it made about £500 in sales a day.

Gymshark is a British multinational with its head office in Solihull, in the West Midlands of England. It also runs a London office and a North American office in Denver, Colorado. From its garage start it has grown to reach customers in over 230 countries through its online stores, employing more than 900 staff as of recent reporting.

Two early moments and a marketing model. In 2013 it exhibited at the BodyPower trade show in Birmingham and sold out of all stock on day one, after which its Luxe tracksuit went viral on Facebook, generating £30,000 of sales in 30 minutes. From there it leaned heavily on influencer marketing, paying around 125 influencers by 2020, which became its signature growth engine.

It does now, though it built its name online. After a Covent Garden pop-up in February 2020, Gymshark opened its first permanent store on Regent Street, London, on 29 October 2022, followed by stores at Westfield Stratford City and White City. Its first store outside London opened at the Trafford Centre in Greater Manchester in July 2025.

Yes. Gymshark launched a fitness app in August 2019, offering both free and premium plans with workouts, video demonstrations and customisable training plans. Its home-based workouts gained particular popularity during the COVID-19 lockdowns, fitting neatly with the brand's digital-first, community-led identity.

Very large for a brand barely over a decade old. Gymshark reached a valuation of over £1 billion in 2020, the same year US private equity firm General Atlantic bought a 21% stake for £275 million to fund global expansion. As of 2025 it reports a community of over 10 million customers and more than 18 million social media followers across 14 international online stores.

Influencers and athletes are core to the brand. In February 2023 it named bodybuilder David Laid "creative director of lifting," and in 2024 it brought on six-time Olympia winner Chris Bumstead (CBUM) as both an athlete and a shareholder. Its broader roster of paid influencers has long included names like Francis Ngannou and Saffron Barker, reflecting how central creators are to its identity.