WIT Fitness, the specialist training brand acquired by Frasers Group (“Frasers”, “the Group”) in January 2024, today announced the return of its original founders, Sam Kitching and Daniel Williams, who will lead WIT in partnership with Frasers Group.
The return of the founders will help restore the WIT brand and reconnect with the fitness community ahead of its planned relaunch this summer to mark its 10-year anniversary.
Dan Williams, WIT Co-Founder, said: “As a brand we have always stood for those who have training as a central pillar of their lifestyle. Given the ever-increasing popularity of training across different modalities, we see a real opportunity to fulfil our original mission, to help change people’s lives through training, this time in collaboration with the strongest possible partner in the Frasers group”.
WIT celebrates its 10th anniversary this August; a decade of fitness that saw WIT take centre stage as the most collaborative training brand on earth, working with iconic brands including Nike, Reebok, Under Armour, Puma, Adidas, and Represent, as well as a cast of innovative newcomers to grow the global training movement.
As part of WIT’s relaunch and 10-year anniversary, WIT will return to its roots, focusing on creating experiences for consumers with physical activations throughout London, in celebration of training and fitness communities. Throughout the remainder of 2024, WIT will launch a range of limited collaborative capsule collections ahead of its own-brand unisex products coming in Q1 2025.
Sam Kitching, WIT Co-Founder comments, “The UK’s training communities have evolved so much since we first launched 10 years ago. Whether this is CrossFit, Hyrox, Pilates or other disciplines, the number of people who see training as their sport has exploded. We continue to understand this consumer better than anyone.”
WIT will benefit from Frasers Group’s extensive retail experience and deep expertise in sport and fitness, with CEO Michael Murray commenting: “I’m looking forward to having Sam and Dan on board and leading the WIT brand with the support and guidance of Frasers Group.”
Sam and Dan acquired majority stake in the business through Friday&, a brand house of which Sam is Managing Partner. Friday& Nic Carter, Friday& Partner and previously European Finance Director at NOBULL, will join Dan and Sam on the Board of Directors.
ABOUT WIT
WIT Fitness is the brand for the training-obsessed built on the belief that training changes
lives. Founded in 2014 by Sam Kitching and Dan Williams, WIT has been at the forefront of
the global growth of training communities. Collaborating with some of the most iconic
brands in the world including Nike, Reebok, Under Armour, Puma, adidas and Represent, WIT creates training and lifestyle apparel for people who incorporate health and fitness as a central pillar in their lives.
ABOUT FRASERS GROUP
Frasers Group started as a small store in Maidenhead in 1982 and from there, grew to become a global powerhouse. As the business evolved, 2019 saw the rebrand of Sports Direct International to Frasers Group plc; a reflection of the Groups growth and change in market identity. Led by Chief Executive Michael Murray, the business is set on a formidable upwards trajectory as it continues to expand with its pioneering approach to retail. Frasers Group provides consumers with access to the world’s best Sports, Premium and Luxury brands with a vision to build the planet’s most admired and compelling brand ecosystem. As a leader in the industry, Frasers Group is committed to rethinking retail by driving digital innovation and providing unique store experiences to its consumers globally.
ABOUT FRIDAY&
Friday& is a collective who partner with established and emerging brands,
as well as launching new, with the goal to redefine consumer experiences and ensure brands are built with legacy in mind.
They combine their expertise in the cornerstones of consumer brands; Creative, Marketing, Finance and Operations, with a model that will nurture and support the accelerated growth of their portfolio companies, alongside consultancy collaborations to allow brands to benefit from the comprehensive Friday& ecosystem.
SAM KITCHING WIT CO-FOUNDER:
Sam is an industry leader within sportswear and retail. Sam’s passion has recently led him to found Friday&, a brand house that invests in and builds some of the world’s most exciting consumer brands. Previously, he founded the UK’s largest training retailer, WIT FITNESS, which set the tone globally for a new era of retail. More recently, leading NOBULL International. Sam has collaborated with some of the largest sports brands in the world, including Nike, Reebok, Adidas, and Under Armour.
Sam was selected for Retail and E-commerce in Forbes 30 under 30 in 2020. He was also voted as one of the 30 most influential people within the UK in Fitness in the Men’s Health Fit List in 2023.
He has mentored some of the fastest-growing sports brands, including R.A.D®️ and Soar Running. Sam has 16 years of experience in sports retail and has taken on multiple executive roles, including CMO, CPO and VP of International. Sam specialises in Leadership, Branding, Marketing and Partnerships.
DAN WILLIAMS WIT CO-FOUNDER:
Dan is a community-focused brand leader. Experienced in building high-performance teams scaling from 1-50 and generating industry-first concepts across physical and digital brand experiences. A belief that driving tangible change through a purpose-driven vision should be the foundation of all brand-building, especially in the Health and Wellness sector. With experience in launching businesses across physical and digital channels in both the apparel and training space, Dan has excellent connectivity across the fitness community in London and beyond. Dan has a true passion is fitness and training and his mission is to make it accessible to all.
