Blackpool brothers' carry off success with sports backpack

Nick and Danny Costello who lived in Preesall and attended Arnold School in Blackpool have seen sales rocket for their products for fitness fans.

Their brand, built from the frustration of being unable to find a suitable backpack to hold gym equipment, is going from strength to strength after building a customer base of 26,000 fitness enthusiasts globally.

Nick, a former personal trainer and CrossFit enthusiast, was unable to find a functional, durable, stylish backpack that could meet his gym requirements, so in 2018, he decided to create his own.

Taking the classic military design as a starting point and following months of testing and redesigning, he came up with the Hero Backpack, and the Built for Athletes brand was born.

A year later the brand has shipped thousands of the backpacks worldwide, increased its product range and seen turnover increase from six figures to seven year on year.

Nick, chief executive of Built for Athletes, said: “2019 was a fantastic year for Built for Athletes, the Hero Backpack was shipped to more than 20 countries worldwide and endorsed by athletes such as Obi Vincent, Ollie Marchon and Zack George. Today thousands of CrossFit athletes across the globe are using our products regularly.

“2019 also saw my brother Danny join the business and with his marketing experience, we have been able to exceed our growth targets and build a loyal customer base”

The backpack won numerous best buy award titles in fitness magazines during 2019 leading to Built for Athletes increasing its product range.

Danny Costello, head of marketing, said: “After such a successful year we decided to kick off 2020 by extending our range of backpacks and accessories.

"The new additions include new colours in the 25 and 45 litre Hero Backpack as well as accessories such as mobility water bottles, reusable coffee cups, meal preparation boxes and protein shakers.”