About Us

Sweatshop was founded in 1971 by Chris Brasher, Olympic gold medallist and co-creator of the London Marathon.

Not originally selected for the Olympics and in the words of the BBC commentary team, 'looking rather heavy', Chris Brasher was far from being favourite to take the 3000m steeplechase title in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.

But take he did, setting a new personal best and Olympic record of 8.41 in the process. That day he was wearing his 'J. T. Law' hand made spikes, with ultra light shaved leather and titanium spikes pillaged from the engine of a Rolls Royce. Two years prior to this in 1954 he paced Sir Roger Bannister to the first ever sub 4 minute mile.

His passion and enthusiasm for running and the outdoors spilled over into the business arena and in 1971 (just before Nike was born) he founded 'Chris Brasher's Sporting Emporium' which soon became Sweatshop.

Chris Brasher believed that to be your best you had to wear the best equipment available. It was with this philosophy in mind that Sweatshop was created, to provide a unique environment for people passionate about their sport and fitness.

In Sweatshop's early days it was a small runners paradise in suburban Teddington. International runners would rub shoulders with those just starting and the training around Bushy Park was excellent. When Zola Budd came to England she bought a pair of running shoes in Sweatshop. Teddington has become the European base for many of the world's top distances athletes and you could find you bump into someone like Moses Kiptanui or Sonia O'Sullivan whilst trying your shoes on.

Sweatshop has slowly grown from its first shop in Teddington and now has shops all around England and Scotland.

As well as stocking the best products and having the biggest choice, nearly all Sweatshop's staff are from sporting backgrounds, from international runners and rowers to organisers of triathlons and fitness instructors. Their own enthusiasm for sport ensures an empathy between staff and customers, which coupled with constant in-house training makes Sweatshop's service second to none. Sweatshop also uses the latest technology to amplify its service.

In 1994 Sweatshop pioneered the use of Adidas footscan in its Teddington store.

Adidas footscan is a pad with 8000 sensors that analyses the pressure that your foot exerts on the ground as you walk or run on it. A two and three dimensional picture of these pressures can then 'be read' by our trained staff to enable them to more accurately recommend the best footwear for your needs. Now most branches have this system.

In 2004 Sweatshop Harrods was re-launched with a range of innovative new services including video analysis, customised 'mi adidas' made-to-measure shoes and personalised insoles.

You'll also find treadmills in most shops so you can try different shoes out to see if they suit your style of running. You can even join the staff in some locations and go for a run, if you want.

In 2003 Sweatshop Teddington joined forces with CreationFX to make it the most advanced sports retail environment in the UK. Creation FX, based at Sweatshop Teddington, offers complete fitness solutions to all levels - from beginners to world class athletes. The range of services includes sports massage, scientific fitness assessment, specific training programmes written, risk assessments (likelihood of getting an injury), nutritional assessments, coaching and personal training.

Sweatshop has shops in some of the country's leading health clubs, gyms and tennis clubs where looking good is part of the enjoyment of working out. You'll find ranges from the likes of Elle, USA Pro and Pure Lime, to name but a few.

Sweatshop is now one of the largest tennis retailers in the UK, providing the same high quality of service to our tennis customers as to our running customers.

Sweatshop has always been involved in supporting races and running events. Since 2001 Sweatshop has organised the Experian Robin Hood Marathon and half marathon and in 2002 it took over the organisation of the Reading Half Marathon.