Long Beach’s bet on the Olympics to help reshape its economy has attracted at least one sportswear company to the port city.
Speedo’s parent company, Pentland Brands, plans to move its North American headquarters from Orange County to Long Beach, which has emerged as a hub for aquatic sports for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The privately held, U.K.-based company that manages a portfolio of fashion and sportswear brands — including outdoor gear brand Berghaus and cycling apparel brand Endura — plans to move to a 25,000-square-foot facility at Aero Long Beach this summer.
Pentland Brands’ North American headquarters has since 2015 been located in a 69,000-square-foot office in Cypress, a company spokesperson said in an email.
The company cited the Olympics as a driving factor in its decision to move.
“Being based in Long Beach places Speedo — a brand trusted by swimmers on the world stage — at the heart of one of the world’s most anticipated sporting events,” the company said in a statement.
Bo Martinez, the city’s economic development director, said in a statement that Pentland’s relocation to Long Beach is “a powerful vote of confidence” that strengthens the city’s efforts to “diversify the local economy, create more high-quality jobs and build an ecosystem where creative, forward-thinking companies can thrive.”
Pentland Brands’ Long Beach facility, which will accommodate more than 130 employees, is expected to include a dedicated Speedo showroom, open office space and rooms for product design, according to the statement.
Long Beach will host 11 sporting events during the 2028 Olympics, which are scheduled to run July 14 through July 30, according to an April statement from the city.
Many are water sports, including coastal rowing, open-water swimming, beach volleyball, sailing, artistic swimming and water polo. Also on the lineup are non-water sports such as sport climbing, handball and target shooting.
Events will be spread across seven venues, including temporary buildings as well as the Long Beach Arena, which hosted events during the 1984 Olympics, and Marine Stadium, built for the rowing events of the 1932 Olympics.
Long Beach will also host seven events for the 2028 Paralympics, scheduled to take place from Aug. 15 to Aug. 27, according to the city’s website.
Long Beach Councilman Daryl Supernaw said in an email to The Times he was “thrilled” for the company behind Speedo to move into his district, which encompasses neighborhoods around the Long Beach Airport.
“It is an ideal company to help diversify our economy and [reinforce] the City’s long history in aquatics,” Supernaw wrote.
Long Beach in 2023 unveiled plans to spend over $900 million on infrastructure over the next five years, with about $200 million earmarked for Olympics-focused projects.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson told The Times in 2024 that he considered the Olympics an opportunity for his city, which has long relied on oil revenue, to “build a new economy.”
Pentland Brands is a division of the Pentland Group, which was founded in the 1930s as the Liverpool Shoe Co.
In the 1990s, Pentland acquired Speedo International and Speedo Australia. In a move to consolidate the global swimwear brand, the company bought Speedo North America from apparel company PVH Corp. for $170 million ahead of the Tokyo Summer Olympics that were postponed to 2021.
Speedo is a major Olympic sponsor and has partnerships with the national swimming governing bodies in the U.S., Canada, China and Australia, among others.
The Australian swimwear brand traces its origins to 1928, when Scottish immigrant Alexander MacRae produced a sleeveless Racerback swimsuit.
Speedo’s tight-fitting suits sparked a brief controversy at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, when a complaint was filed about Australian swimmer Clare Dennis’ exposed shoulders, according to the Daily Telegraph. The complaint was dismissed and the teenager went on to win gold in the 200-meter breaststroke.