Who Do Top DTC Brands Like Gymshark Use for Their 3PL Fulfillment?
- Nick Malinowski
- Feb 28
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 28
If you're in the DTC business or watch a lot of TikToks from gym rat influencers, you've probably heard of Gymshark.
Probably one of the most successful DTC brands of all time, the UK-based DTC founded in 2012 started out small, dropshipping supplements and then delivering fitness wear by hand. They were shipping 15,000 orders per day by 2021 and today are valued at well over $1 billion.
So how did a kid selling supplements out of his house with no logistical experience manage to create a global fulfillment network? In fact, how does any DTC brand go from running out of a garage to selling to the world? Most of them start by upgrading to third-party logistics providers (3PLs) before scaling to internal networks.
3PLs can be a crucial stepping stone to growing your business faster. They give you similar coverage to large “plug-and-play” networks like Amazon Fulfillment but with much more flexibility and personalization.
While this information can be a bit tricky to find, we did the research on who some of the biggest modern DTC brands used for their 3PLs providers. Read on to learn what a successful network looks like and what features large brands optimize for.
Who Does Gymshark Use For Its 3PL Fulfillment?
In 2017, Gymshark partnered with Bleckmann, a 3PL capable of fulfilling across Europe and Australia. Today, Bleckmann says they emphasize technological innovation and play an active role in solution design. They have a contract with Gymshark until 2029.
Gymshark then began expanding across North America with the Philadelphia-based 3PL, Radial in 2021. Radial even prepared to open a fulfillment center in Rialto, California in mid-July of the same year. They reserved more than 780,000 square feet specifically for Gymshark operations across North America in the facility.
While we’re unsure exactly which combination of providers Gymshark is using today, you can see that it used 3PL contracts as a way to pre-emptively prepare for expansion into new markets.
3PLs have a ton of experience within the regions they operate and are a great solution if you want to test the waters of a new location. They can even scale with your business if you can provide order volume.
Who Does Oura Ring Use For Its 3PL Fulfillment?
If you’ve been hanging out on the internet recently or you run in Silicon Valley circles, you probably know about the latest trendy tech wearable, Oura Ring.
Oura is a ring with many of the same functions as an Apple Watch or a Fitbit – you can use it to stay updated on biometrics like your pulse or sleep schedule.
Though founded in Finland all the way back in 2013, Oura’s sales recently exploded due to viral marketing on platforms like TikTok.
Like clockwork, you can see they’ve already had a backlog of customer complaints online due to shipping delays. Oura Ring is logistically a complicated business because they first send a sizing kit that needs to be sent back before they can send your ring. Having a 3PL that can manage that complexity at scale is crucial.
It’s unclear as of February 2025 if Oura is currently using a 3PL, however, we stumbled across a recent job posting online that says they are hiring a logistics manager for the business in San Diego. It lists working with 3PLs as a job responsibility. We would guess they either have one or more partners operating in the US or are actively looking for one now.
Oura also allows you to pick up your ring or your sizing kit at more than 850 Best Buy locations. This is a great example of hybrid retail which we wrote about in this blog.
Who Does Casper Sleep Use for Its 3PL Fulfillment?
Though hit hard by the pandemic, DTC sensation Casper Sleep’s mattresses still ship across the US and to all Canadian territories.
Casper’s launch in 2014 was well recognized as logistically chaotic; in order to meet unexpectedly high demand, the founders had to wait for mattresses to be shipped from Georgia, where they were manufactured, to New York City.
“We set up a warehouse in the middle of the street,” Co-founder Neil Parikh told CNBC Make It.
As they grew, Casper partnered with UPS and built retail partnerships with Costco, Target, and Amazon.
One of the most complicated logistical features Casper offers is their home delivery and setup option. This obviously requires trained specialists operating outside of the scope of most 3PL fulfillment businesses or shipping companies.
To do their setup process, they say on their website they partner with independent shipping operator network RXO Logistics. When you initially order a mattress for setup, it first moves to an RXO warehouse. RXO then likely works with a variety of local providers to deliver and set up your mattress depending on the region you order from.
This is another great example of the kind of logistical flexibility a 3PL partner can provide. Imagine asking Amazon Fulfillment or FedEx to set up something like that.
Who Does Magic Spoon Use for Its 3PL Fulfillment?
The protein-packed cereal vendor Magic Spoon is another highly successful DTC, launched in 2019 with the idea to“improve an existing product rather than create a new category from scratch”. It partners with DCL Logistics and UPS to deliver its products to the US, Canada, and the UK.
DCL was able to create virtual bundles for Magic Spoon items, allowing consumers more customization and specificity in their orders. Both DCL and UPS ship internationally, and DCL has warehouses on both US coasts.
Magic Spoon received an $85 million investment in 2022, allowing it to put cereal boxes onto Target shelves, another great example of hybrid retail at work. This implies DCL has some ins with retail distributors or at least the systems to support working with them.
When is it Time For My DTC Brand to Switch 3PLs?
As you can see, there are a myriad of reasons you might want to start using a new 3PL as your business grows.
You want to try a special type of packaging or kitting outside the realm of your current provider.
You want to aggressively expand to meet demand in a new region.
You want to lower fulfillment speed, delivery times, and postage costs with an optimal warehouse location at scale.
You want to expand into retailers like Best Buy or Target without the hassle of managing EDI yourself.
You simply want to stop stressing out about your logistics as you grow.
When your business is just starting to kick off, you don’t want to spend all your time learning about the intricacies of managing your own warehouse. You’ll want to focus on more important things like scaling, meeting manufacturing needs, and customer support. Perhaps the most important thing a 3PL can offer you is more freedom to focus on growth.
If you’re looking to expand or grow your DTC business in the US and you want to warehouse your items and grow quickly, we suggest you give us a call at OTW Shipping.
When you ship with OTW, you get:
99.99% order accuracy
Transparent rates and custom quotes to fit your needs
Multiple locations for optimized shipping speed and cost
Access to a Slack-like channel where you can chat with our team directly
State-of-the-art warehouse management software
And much more
Let's get you a custom quote today.
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