Brand focus Dhb

A sportswear company that’s aiming high

If you run regularly the chances are you know somebody with Dhb kit. The brand may not have the recognition of Nike or Adidas but you’ll see the gear at most races.

Originally the own-brand of online retailer Wiggle, it launched as a purveyor of midrange, mid-priced cycling kit, branching out a decade later into budget running kit, where it competed against brands such as Karrimor.

But the last couple of years have seen a big change, according to marketing manager Kirsty Smith. ‘Although Dhb is still exclusively available at Wiggle it’s no longer part of the company,’ she says. ‘Part of the new direction involved overhauling our kit offering in 2016, especially in running. We now see our competitors as the likes of Adidas, Ronhill and Under Armour, and our customers are enthusiasts – that is, regular Parkrunners, people who train three to five times a week and who know what they like.

‘The massive increase in quality of the kit caters for these people but the prices are still affordable [£13-25 for tops and shorts, £ 25-30 for tights]. At the moment our running range accounts for about 15 per cent of all Dhb sales – with swim and tri at 20 per cent and cycling at 65 per cent – but if we continue on our current path we’ll see the running share grow bigger and bigger.’ Dhb is available at wiggle.com