Castore Stories

Lily joined Castore in May 2023 as an Assistant Product Developer and has since progressed to become a Junior Product Developer

Why did you choose Castore?

I was attracted to Castore as it was such a young, dynamic, fast-growing company which impressively had become a well-known brand in such a short space of time.

On a personal level, I am passionate about motorsport (some may say obsessed !!), and it is an industry, that I have always known that I would want to work in or around, so when the opportunity came along not only to work at Castore but within the motorsport department, I just had to take it, there was no question about it and I feel very privileged to work where I do. 

What do you enjoy most about working at Castore?

The people and the variety of the work.

From day one everyone has been so welcoming and friendly. Even though it may sound cliché, the company does feel like one big family.

In terms of my exposure, I have been able to work with nearly all our motorsport accounts minus two which I loved, and recently I have also been involved on accounts outside of motorsports, for example on rugby and football. 

If you could give your younger self a piece of advice before you joined Castore, what would it be?

One piece of advice I would give my younger self, especially coming straight out of University, is don't be afraid to ask questions. Everyone is so knowledgeable, and they are more than happy to share that knowledge to help you learn and develop. 

Don't sit there struggling and not understanding something; everyone is working towards the same goal at Castore, and they are so willing to help. Nowadays, as my team will know, you won't catch me not asking a question!

Shani joined Castore as a Key Account Manager back in January 2021 and is now a Senior Commercial Manager

Why did you choose Castore

At the time I was working at another sportswear brand and I was approached by someone at Castore in October 2020. Castore were just in the process of finalising deals with Wolves and Newcastle and needed a partnerships account manager to manage Wolves. There was a lot of exciting things happening in the background when I first spoke with Castore so this is what ultimately led me to join and the opportunities that were going to potentially come with this.

What do you enjoy most about working at Castore

Honestly for me it is the people that I have worked with over the last 3 and half years. I have met some great people over the last three years some of them who have become very good friends and people who have helped me along the way. I initially joined the partnerships team to manage some of our new partners but within 6 months I was given the opportunity to join the wholesale team where I worked on some of our Key Accounts such as; JD and Fanatics.

If you could give your younger self a piece of advice before you joined Castore, what would it be?

Be Confident in everything that I do. I think being confident can be hard for some people, I think it took me a long time to get there but I am now confident in the decisions that I make when It comes to work.

Don’t be afraid of hard work. Hard work and a passion for what you do will pay off in the end, you just must be patient. I also have learnt not to be too tough on myself when things are not going my way. 

Grace joined Castore in October 2022 working in the Customer Service department but recently moved to our Partnerships Operations team

Why did you choose Castore?

I love watching sports especially football, so I have always wanted to work in sport in some aspect. When I heard there was a chance to join a rapidly growing company in sport, I could not say no. What was even better is that Castore is based in middle of Manchester. Castore also is a company that is modern and always thriving to be the best.

What do you enjoy most about working at Castore?

I love how there is constantly a chance to grow with Castore internally. I think this is a great aspect of working here; it’s encouraged to grow within your department or other departments. It also allows me to enjoy working at Castore as there is an appreciation for employees and what they bring to the company. I also love how much you learn regarding different league and follow the teams Castore are partnered throughout their season. Castore is always changing and it’s never boring.

If you could give your younger self a piece of advice before you joined Castore, what would it be?

Timing is everything, you have nothing to worry about and you’re going to learn so much.

Eva joined Castore as an Assistant Garment Technologist in April 2022 but has since transferred to our Product Design department

Why did you choose Castore

I chose Castore as I was looking to make my next career step into sportswear, and I was excited at the prospect of working for a home-grown brand, especially one from the North West.

What do you enjoy most about working at Castore

Working at in Design at Castore offers a great mix of own brand and licensed product. In my first job at a small brand, product would only be developed and approved internally. In my second position at a wholesaler, the product was mostly developed for external customers.

The understanding of both kinds of approval processes is a good asset to have as a Designer. I also have great colleagues, which is always a bonus.

If you could give your younger self a piece of advice before you joined Castore, what would it be?

I would encourage younger people wanting to get into design or development to get as much work experience as you can whilst in University/education. My 3 month internship was probably what got my foot in the door, and had I known how competition for entry level roles there would be, I would have done more work experience. Reaching out to your network or connections for freelance or shadowing opportunities as well. You might be surprised who says yes.

Jake joined Castore on an internship in July 2022 and is now a full-time Category Assistant

Why did you choose Castore

As a recent graduate eager to build a career in the football industry, I was thrilled by the opportunity to work for Castore, a brand I recognised from its partnerships with Premier League and Scottish Premiership football teams. The company was an exciting brand that was growing rapidly since moving to Manchester and there were plenty of opportunities across its departments.

I initially joined the partnerships team at Castore on a 3-month Internship, before being offered my full-time position in the Buying team.

The central Manchester location was also a key factor, making it an ideal place to kickstart my professional journey after completing my degree.

What do you enjoy most about working at Castore

What I enjoy most about working at Castore is collaborating with some of the world's leading professional sports brands to create exciting products for sports fans. It's especially rewarding to visit our retail stores on matchdays and witness the positive feedback from customers who enjoy our products.

If you could give your younger self a piece of advice before you joined Castore, what would it be?

To be open to different opportunities that may present themselves. I never believed I would work directly with product, but having moved into the Category Management team I love the freedom to influence the accessories product ranges that ultimately go on sale in our club retail stores.