Latest news with #Gymshark
The Irish Sun
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Who is Gymshark founder Ben Francis and what is his net worth?
BEN Francis is the creator of the sportswear mega-chain Gymshark. The star was added to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2025, as his company continued to expand. 3 Ben Francis founded the sportswear company Gymshark Credit: Alamy 3 Ben is married to a fitness influencer named Robin Gallant Credit: Instagram 3 Ben shares two twin boys with Robin Credit: Instagram/@ Taking a risk Ben was born on June 4, 1992, and dropped out of Aston University to fund his dream of creating a sports brand. He worked as a delivery driver for Pizza Hut to fund his ambition and eventually quit after six months of running the company. The entrepreneur They based the company in a garage, while initially focusing on selling fitness supplements. READ MORE ON Rich Lists Eventually, they decided to expand their range by selling high-quality sportswear. Ben drew on his sewing skills, having been taught by his mother at a young age. After becoming a national success, he stepped down as CEO in 2016 but remained the chief brand officer and majority shareholder. Joining the rich list Ben's huge success landed him on the Most read in The Sun He is worth a staggering £726 million, with Gymshark itself being valued at over £1 billion. His company now employs more than 850 people and sells to over 100 countries worldwide. I'm a midsize gym girl & did a Gym Shark haul – the leggings were a slay & fit so well, now I'm in danger of buying more Meeting his wife Ben married his long-term girlfriend Robin Gallant on September 9, 2021. Robin was a fitness influencer and eventually became a brand representative for her husband's sportswear brand. Ben and his wife met while at a fitness expert in Robin's The pair share twin sons who were born on Christmas Eve 2022.
Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Times
‘He's giving it his all. When you invest, that's what you want'
The Gymshark co-founder Lewis Morgan has snapped up a 15 per cent stake in MyFirst, a car insurance company targeting young drivers, and is backing the start-up to reach unicorn status. Morgan, who started Gymshark in 2013 with Ben Francis, bought out existing shareholders and said he believed the company would achieve a £1 billion valuation in the coming years. As part of the same transaction, an existing minority shareholder, Rob Pierre, who is best known as the co-founder of Jellyfish, a digital marketing agency, has increased his stake from seven to 20 per cent. James Noble launched MyFirst in 2016 after struggling to secure cover for his first car. At the time he was working as a golf caddy with no experience in the
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gymshark tycoon issues X fake ads alert and blasts 'misinformation'
Midland Gymshark tycoon Ben Francis has warned his X followers over fake ads using his image. The gymwear company founder said his picture was used on the social media site to illustrate articles falsely claiming to have been produced by the BBC. Dragon's Den judge Steven Bartlett has also been the subject of similar bogus ads on X, which was formerly Twitter and is owned by the world's richest man, Elon Musk. READ MORE: Man buys £4million National Lottery winning ticket from Londis but sees none of cash READ MORE: UK faces 550-mile wall of rain but nine counties in England will be spared READ MORE: I tried new restaurant and they're 'really showing off' with £5 dish Francis, who is from Bromsgrove, co-founded Gymshark as a student at Aston University. His fortune was estimated at £725 million in last year's Sunday Times Rich List 40 Under 40. He posted on X: "There are some fake ads on this platform using my image for supposed BBC articles. As I say, these are fake and if you click on them, it takes you somewhere completely different. The more people that report these ads, the more likely X is to take down this misinformation." Bartlett responded to the fake ads featuring his likeness on X earlier this month, urging people to take steps to protect themselves against "scams". He posted: "Over recent months I've had thousands of messages flagging AI videos and paid ads that use my image on every social platform. "The crazy part is that these aren't normal posts - they are promoted adverts that are being boosted using Facebook, X or YouTube's advertising tools - this means someone somewhere is paying Meta and X to target people with scams, and Meta and X are collecting that money. "I've received so many (too many) messages from people who have lost money because of these scams - some of which are absolutely heartbreaking - and the horrible truth is that the people most at risk are some of the most vulnerable in society. " If the platforms can tag my face in a photo, automatically, it can spot it in a scam advert. If it can name a song in one second, it can spot an AI voice clone in a video." X tells advertisers: "Advertisers on X are responsible for their X ads. This means following all applicable laws and regulations, creating honest ads, and advertising safely and respectfully. This article describes our advertising policies. Our policies require you to follow the law, but they are not legal advice."
Miami Herald
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Gymshark customers furious after second drop disaster
It was supposed to be a comeback. Hype was high. Fans were ready. The brand even promised it had "learned from last week." But within minutes, the chaos began. Items vanished from carts. Country-specific sites refused to load. Some shoppers never even saw the collection drop. Related: Gymshark stumbles big time and customers are furious And just like that, the backlash hit harder than before. For many, this wasn't just another launch fail - it was a breaking point. One that pushed die-hard supporters to call it quits, publicly and permanently. The popular gym wear brand, Gymshark, held a "do-over" drop on May 15 following a botched release the week prior. But instead of redemption, it delivered déjà vu. Some users claimed bots bypassed human verification. Others, particularly in Canada, said the site never loaded at all. Many experienced a checkout queue that emptied their carts before they ever got a chance to buy. "What actually happened? A mess," Reddit user u/CorneZeeman wrote. Related: Gymshark consumers furious, call for boycott That same user accused the brand of using "artificial scarcity" tactics, saying, "The whole 'limited edition' thing? No one cares. We don't want exclusivity, we want accessibility." He emphasized that fans want to actually wear the clothes - not fight over scraps. To many, the entire experience felt like a betrayal of the loyal community that helped build the brand. Redditor u/No-Spare-6843 kept it simple: "I'm buying YoungLA now," referencing one of Gymshark's rising competitors. Fueling the outrage was Gymshark's Instagram post claiming that the Onyx collection "sold out in 25 minutes." Many customers said it was gone almost instantly, leaving them feeling "gaslit" and "trolled." The mismatch between the brand's messaging and user experience deepened the divide. Customer trust, once a core strength for the brand, may now be its biggest weakness. According to Zendesk Benchmark data, 73% of consumers will switch to a competitor after multiple bad experiences, a figure that brings sharp clarity to Gymshark's current challenge. On launch day, multiple threads lit up across Reddit's r/Gymshark community, filled with complaints, memes, and frustrated farewells. Some, like u/Independent-Bass8848, declared "no more Gymshark for me," while others questioned whether the brand is intentionally throttling access to boost hype. In a follow-up post, Gymshark said, "Onyx will return." But for many fans, that promise came too late. After two chaotic drops in less than a week, frustration had already boiled over. The company has not publicly addressed the second launch failure. But with customers defecting to rivals and social media sentiment turning sour, the stakes are getting higher. Limited-edition drops may build buzz. But when your most loyal customers feel betrayed, buzz can quickly turn into backlash - and hurt the bottom line. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mirror
I wore Gymshark's new sculpting range to 3 gym classes to see how it held up
Gymshark has launched its brand new Vital Sculpt range, which promises to be stretchier, more comfortable and more flattering than ever before, so I put it to the test Nothing steps up your workout motivation quite like a new gym outfit, especially when it's one that promises to make you look and feel more comfortable and confident than ever before. So when Gymshark launched the new Vital Sculpt collection, which promises improved stretch and snap back, shaping textures, smoothing waistbands and glute-sculpting design, I was all in to give it a try. The Vital Sculpt range isn't new, per se, as it's been around since 2017. But the new launch features its best sellers that have been reimagined with new fabrics and shaping elements that promise to lift, sculpt, snatch and support your body during just about any type of workout. With the Vital Sculpt range promising to be a staple no matter what type of workout you prefer, I decided to put it to the test through three different gym classes and workouts to see how it really fared. I also tried several pieces from the collection to make sure it wasn't a one hit wonder. The pieces I tested: Vital Seamless Sports Bra – £32 Vital Sculpt Seamless All in One – £55 Vital Sculpt Seamless Short – £38 Workout one – HIIT Pieces worn – Vital Sculpt Seamless Legging One of the staple pieces in the range is the sculpting seamless leggings, so I decided to put them to the hardest test of all; a HIIT class. With leaping, lunging and lots of sweating involved, it felt like a good place to see how well the leggings held up (literally) and whether I felt comfortable enough to go through all the movements in them. First up, these are super stretchy and have quite a bit of compression, which is wonderful for smoothing and supporting your figure, and the waistband is ultra high, which gives lots of coverage. It's a wide band which means less digging in, and they worked well with the constant movements; there was next to no slipping down or rolling over of the waistband – two of my biggest pet peeves with gym leggings. The waistband has a lot of snapback, and whilst it's fab for smoothing it can feel a little tight after a while, especially if you carry more weight around your tummy. I would have also loved these to have pockets. Sweaty Betty's Power UltraSculpt High-Waisted 7/8 Gym Leggings are pricier at £88, but feature a similar sculpting design and have two side slip pockets. However the seamless design meant there was no chafing of rubbing whilst moving, and they held up really well – just don't go into a very deep squat, as the fabric does become a bit sheer around your bum. All in all, I felt great wearing them and they did their job exactly as they should. Workout two – weights The sports bra is a low-impact style, which meant wearing it for anything cardio related was out, so I tested it through a weight lifting workout, along with the shorts. First things first, the bra. It was a great snug fit, and I loved the adjustable slider straps which weren't just on the shoulders, but on the back too. This gave you much more range of sizing, and let me adjust it to get just the right fit to feel secure without being too snug. This is definitely not a bra for jumping around in; the support was minimal at best, and although I have quite a small chest (I'm a B cup) there was still some movement and jiggle even just lifting weights. However, it's the perfect thing for days when you don't need the support but want the comfort and stretch of a sports bra. The shorts were a godsend during the heatwave, and I was a big fan of the extra length that they have. So many workout shorts are tiny and barely come down your thigh, but these were the perfect length that avoided chafing and gave more coverage. Compression wise, these were brilliant – they sculpted and smoothed and felt supportive without being too tight or restrictive, and the material felt lightweight and not too thick. This does come with the caveat, though, that you can't wear them for super deep squats as they end up a little see through. Although I didn't find they were obviously transparent (there was no knicker visibility) they did stretch thin, and the bum scrunch sits at a slightly awkward place; it's a little too high and doesn't quite give the desired effect. However they were so comfortable and stretchy this doesn't bother me – I can just throw a baggy T-shirt over the top when I want a little more coverage. Workout three – pilates Pieces worn – Vital Sculpt Seamless All in One I will preface this by saying that a skin tight all in one is absolutely not in my comfort zone. As someone with curves I tend to prefer mixing tight pieces with more oversized ones to get a good balance, so this was one I was less excited about. However, I will admit when I'm wrong, because I actually felt fantastic in this. The compression was just right that it pulled in and smoothed areas I'd usually be keen to cover, and it was so stretchy and comfortable that I didn't think twice about what I looked like. With no tight waistband digging in or cropped vests to pull down, I could focus completely on what I was doing, and considering how many twists, bends and upside down moments you have during a pilates class, this held up against them all. It's worth noting there's little to no chest support, so you'll need a sports bra underneath, and again I would have loved if it had a pocket or two. However considering me an all-in-one convert, because I'll be wearing this to plenty of other workouts in the future. You can shop the complete Gymshark Vital Sculpt range here, which comes in a range of colours and sizes. You can also check out Tala's Sculpt Seamless range, which features similar styles in different colourways.
