Findel strengthens its sports offering through the acquisition of Gym Gear

Subsidiary of Manutan Group, Findel, the UK leader in the distribution of educational resources and school supplies, has acquired Gym Gear, a provider of fitness solutions. This transaction expands the Group's expertise within the sports sector and creates new growth opportunities alongside Davies Sports in the UK and Casal Sport in France.

Based in Preston, Lancashire, Gym Gear supports organisations and institutions in the design and development of sports facilities. The company supplies professional fitness equipment and installation services to customers across the education, leisure and public sectors throughout the UK.

Gym Gear now joins a broader ecosystem of specialist sports brands within the Manutan Group portfolio:
•    Davies Sports, a leading UK provider of sports equipment and facilities for educational establishments, sports clubs and local authorities.
•    Casal Sport, a French specialist in sports equipment, supporting sports organisations, educational institutions and public sector bodies through a comprehensive range of products, services and solutions.

Beyond broadening the Group's offering, this acquisition reflects Manutan Group's ambition to build a portfolio of complementary brands with strong expertise in specialised markets. By bringing together the capabilities of Gym Gear, Davies Sports and Casal Sport, we are strengthening our ability to support organisations across education, sport and the public sector with solutions tailored to their needs.

Chris Mahady, Chief Executive Officer of Findel, commented: "Gym Gear has earned an excellent reputation over its past 21 years of trading. This has created a strong and recognised physical fitness brand in the markets the business serves, and we see significant opportunities for further growth. We will provide the Gym Gear team with the support and investment required to further enhance the products and services they provide.
We look forward to working closely with the team, learning from one another and building on our collective strengths as we continue to grow and deliver even greater value for our customers." 

Gym Gear will continue to be led by Richard Lambert and David Bulcock, ensuring continuity for customers and preserving the expertise that has underpinned the company's success since its creation in 2005.

Richard Lambert, Director of Gym Gear, added: "Joining Findel provides us with a significant opportunity to accelerate the next phase of Gym Gear's growth. We intend to use the additional backing to strengthen our position in the market and pursue opportunities at greater pace and scale.
For our customers, it very much remains business as usual. They will deal with the same team, continue to have access to our range of high-quality products and receive the exceptional service standards they are used to." 

For Xavier Guichard, Chairman of Manutan Group, this acquisition fully aligns with the Group's ambition to bring together businesses that share common values, distinctive expertise and a long-term vision.
"The acquisition of Gym Gear builds on the strong foundations of the Group's existing sports activities in the UK with Findel and Davies Sports, and in France with Casal Sport, while opening up new opportunities in a complementary market." 

The acquisition of Gym Gear reflects our development strategy: strengthening our expertise, supporting our markets over the long term and, together with our brands, building an increasingly useful and high-performing European model.