About us.
Supereight is a premium retail brand that sells only the best in skateboarding products from brands that we believe in. We are 100% independent, 100% skater owned and 100% skater run.
Where it all began.
Supereight was formed late 2014 but didn’t start trading until mid-2015 as Nick and I were in the process of wrapping up our previous commitments in the wholesale and distribution side of the skateboard industry. It is crazy to think that between us we have been working in the skateboard industry now for a combined 42 years… I am not sure how I feel about that other than, well, “old”!
Skateboarding is a big part of our lives, Nick has been skateboarding since November 1989 at which time he was 12 years old and living in Bahrain, I guess there isn’t much else to do in the sweltering desert. I, however, was later to the party, I had messed around on friends and older brothers boards when younger and I had a “toy” board when I was young, but I didn’t get my first actual skateboard until 1995 when I was 15 years old. For both of us the decision to take an interest in skateboarding, at a time when no one was doing it and there were almost no skateparks in the UK, set in motion a long journey that, unknown to us as children, would shape our entire careers and lives.
Fast forward a couple of decades and here we are sat in the Supereight office, still working in skateboarding after all these years and very much thankful for it. Skateboarding is now (almost) a legitimately recognised sport and every village and market town seems to have an incredible skate park. As skateboarding grew, we both worked in the wholesale side of the industry, which involved bringing in brands from the US (mainly) and selling them to the UK skate stores. We managed brands such as Adio Footwear, DVS Shoes, Lakai Shoes, Neff Headwear, Girl and Chocolate skateboards to name just a few. To make a living doing something you truly love is a dream come true and over the years we had the privilege to work with and meet some incredible people both in the UK, USA and the rest of the world.
The next step.
However, in 2015 that chapter of both our careers was drawing to a close as the industry, as it always does, had begun to evolve and change. We saw an opportunity in the retail side of the business and after a very brief meeting, it was on and Supereight was born. We began in true start-up fashion, we had a small amount of money to get started, we spent it on a tiny amount of stock and a grubby office that was sublet from a friend and then grafted for the next 2 years. I wish I had the character limit to regale you with tails of the shenanigans that happened in that first office. You literally couldn’t make it up! Suffice to say that office is now a private swingers “club” (complete with inflatable jacuzzies) where the landlord lives beneath in a strange converted garage.
All you need to know is that we started small with VERY humble beginnings. No city money, no outside investment, just passion and a lot of hard work.
Why shop with us.
We have worked incredibly hard to build a company that reflects the ideals and culture that both of us hold so dear. The whole ethos was to do things better than anyone else was doing it, whilst putting our customers at the centre of everything we do.
This is harder than it sounds in practice but we feel we have found a good balance thanks to the hard work of our team of staff who all skate and live the skateboard culture that we sell. We feel this is incredibly important, our dedicated and knowledgable staff are the reason why we stand above our competition. If you call us you will speak to a real human who is friendly and actually knows what they are talking about.
The world is awash with also-rans and me-toos, so we feel that the authenticity that underpins our business, and the people who work in it, are paramount to building a brand that is honest and something people can believe in. We can proudly say that we have carved our own path in the fickle skateboard market, building a reputation for being not only one of the leading skate stores in the UK but also one that can be considered truly legitimate and that continues to be owned and run by skateboarders.
Sam & Nick – Supereight founders