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The Story Behind WIT, The Global Training Retailer

September 25, 2019 by Justin LoFranco

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Located in the heart of London’s financial district, WIT’s 18-month-old gym and retail space is Mecca for the burgeoning training category.

Built just steps from the London Stock Exchange, the vision was “to give the training consumer a curated multi-brand product selection that we think they deserve,” said CEO and Co-Founder Dan Williams.

Below WIT’s store is a full CrossFit affiliate, running classes from 5:30 AM to 7:00 PM at night for 200 members and more than 100 drop-ins a week.

“We are for the serious trainer,” Williams said in an exclusive sit down with Morning Chalk Up.

Origins

Back in 2015, Williams, who was inov-8’s UK account manager at the time, approached Sam Kitching, WIT’s other co-founder with an idea.

That year, they launched multiple pop-up shops in London’s trendy Shoreditch district. The following year, they opened a full retail store in the same neighborhood.

In 2017, with plans to merge a full retail and training experience, WIT launched its first funding round and met their £840,000 target in seven days. By the time they closed the crowdfunding campaign, WIT had raised more than £1,200,000 from 389 investors.

Since the opening of their new store 18-months-ago, the brand has been on a meteoric rise in training. Today, they ship worldwide, averaging 30-40 countries daily.

Throughout 2019, they expanded their sponsored athlete roster to include Scott Panchik, Jamie Greene, Jessica Griffith, Cody Mooney, Haley Adams and Elliot Simmonds.
In June, NIKE partnered with WIT for the global launch of the Metcon 5 in Paris, France where the shoe was available for testing and purchase a full 11 days before anyone else in the world.
In July, they inked a deal with CrossFit, Inc. to be the official global e-commerce partner of CrossFit, combining the old CrossFit store and CrossFit Stuff store into one.
In September, WIT expanded their training partnership to premiership Rugby, becoming the official training partner of the Northampton Saints.
Planning second store expansion in 2020 to the East Coast of the United States.