After a challenging 2024, THG returned to profit in its latest annual results with growth driven by its Myprotein and Lookfantastic brands.
Later in April, the brand went on to announce that Myprotein would be partnering with Footasylum, with its activewear range making its high-street debut.
The range is currently available across seven UK Footasylum stores, including Manchester Arndale, Cardiff, White Rose Leeds, Meadowhall, Oxford Street, Metrocentre and Silverburn, according to THG’s website.
Items available to purchase include hoodies, jackets, leggings, shorts and sports bras, in colourways such as butter yellow, blush, mint green, slate blue and black.
“Scaling Myprotein as a true omnichannel brand”
Although the Footasylum tie-up marks Myprotein’s first activewear brick-and-mortar launch, the brand already sells a wide range of its nutrition products across physical stores.
In 2024, the company launched into 1,200 Boots stores nationwide, selling goods such as its Clear Whey Protein and Impact Pre-Workout. The move marked its biggest in-store launch with a single retailer at the time.
More recently, the brand partnered with convenience food producer Greencore in February to introduce a new range of Myprotein branded food on-the-go products, with the items available in Sainsbury’s supermarkets and convenience stores.
Explaining why Myprotein made its activewear debut on the high street, THG Nutrition CEO Neil Mistry says that it had built a “strong” direct to consumer business over the last decade, and that the next step was “scaling Myprotein as a true omnichannel brand”.
“Physical retail allows us to reach new customers, build brand presence, and showcase the quality and design of our products in a way digital alone can’t” he says.
“It’s less about shifting channel and more about expanding how and where customers engage with the brand.”
In its latest annual results, the footwear giant hailed a “standout” year as its sales and profits hit a record high.
The shoe retailer is also pushing ahead with its store expansion plans. In March, it extended its revolving credit facility with HSBC UK from £35m to £60m.
The increased funding is set to support the next phase of Footasylum’s store rollout programme, with new locations planned in Leeds, Glasgow and Merthyr Tydfil.
Mistry affirms: “Footasylum has a strong, fashion-led customer base that aligns well with how our activewear has evolved; moving beyond performance into everyday lifestyle.
“They understand their audience, curate their offer well, and give us the right environment to introduce the brand in a way that feels authentic and relevant.”
He adds: “We’ll work closely with Footasylum to refine the range, understand customer response, and then scale into additional stores where we see the strongest opportunity.”
A focus on womenswear
For now, Myprotein’s partnership with Footasylum has seen “a curated selection of women’s MP Activewear” launched across selected UK stores, aimed at 16 to 24 year olds.
The exec explains that the launch focused on womenswear due to this category being “one of the fastest-growing parts” of its activewear business and “a key area of focus for us”.
However, he notes: “Menswear remains a significant opportunity, and we’ll look to expand this with the right partners over time.”
Although Mistry refrains from naming any specific brands, he insists that the company is “focused on building long-term partnerships with a small number of key retailers, rather than scaling too quickly”.
“The priority is to get the model right, prove demand, and then expand in a considered way” he adds.
Myprotein Kitchen “helped us understand the role physical space can play”
As well as selling its range of nutrition products in-stores, Myprotein’s kitchen store format preceded its activewear launch in Footasylum.
The business initially launched its physical kitchen store in Manchester in 2023, with the shop selling goods including fresh food, protein shakes and coffee.
In October, the brand went on to reveal that it was partnering with Everlast Gyms to rollout its Myprotein Kitchens in the gym’s locations across the UK and Ireland.
Mistry assures that the Manchester kitchen concept had been “a really valuable brand asset” for the business.
Additionally, he says: “It’s helped us understand the role physical space can play – not just as a retail channel, but as a way to bring the brand to life through experience, community and product discovery.”
“Those learnings are directly shaping how we approach retail more broadly.”
