Our History

Greaves is Scotland's - and one of the UK's - oldest independent sports retailers with a history dating back to the 1930s.

The business began as the Clydesdale Rubber Company in the 1930s, selling - among other things - Wellington boots and sheepskin coats. The business survived the difficult 1930s and 40s and in the 1950s, the third generation of the family business, brothers Jim and Bill Greaves, presided over a change of direction which would see this small rubber company grow into one of the best known multi-sports department stores in the UK.

In 1959, Jim and Bill took over their main city rival, Lumley’s in a bold buy-out which saw them double their presence in Glasgow. Diversifying into the sports trade and becoming synonymous with winter sports, Jim and Bill rebranded the Clydesdale Rubber Company as Greaves Sports in 1967.

As more and more rival sports stores swapped out sports gear for leisure wear, Greaves soon became one of the country’s last true multi-sports department stores standing.

Our Claims To Fame

Over the years Greaves can now count a number of famous celebrities as customers with the like of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra paying a visit to our sports store for golf clubs in the 1950s to Samuel L Jackson and Eminem visiting the shop while touring in the UK.

Greaves Today

To this day Greaves still remains a family run business with a fifth generation of the Greaves family now on the board.

The flagship sports store remains at 23 Gordon Street, part of Glasgow’s Style Mile, where the six-storey 30,000 square feet property features 15,000 square feet of retail.

Greaves continue to help athletes of every level to achieve their sporting goals whether that’s to enjoy their sport, live an active lifestyle or excel at the highest level.

Our aim is to always offer the highest level of customer service and product knowledge, while offering our customers the very latest in sporting innovation.