Sports heritage brand Rampant Sporting opened its first store this week with plans for further expansion.

The brand, in which lifestyle company Joules bought a stake in November, secured a 12 year lease on 16 Gandy Street in Exeter. The 116 sq mt shop opened yesterday (April 11).

Rampant Sporting was assisted by retail consultant company Insight Retail Consulting and said it expected to open more standalone stores in the region in the next few years.

The brand has 16 UK stockists including indies and department stores such as Bentalls and plans to add up to 40 new stockists this year.

Founder Richard Hurtley said: “The move to Exeter is very important to us as it is the birthplace of this business. The brand was conceived on a university couch in Exeter in 2005 and now here it is going back to its roots, with a store less than a mile from where it all began.”

The brand said it decided to change its name from Lions Rampant earlier this year to more clearly define its British sporting heritage.