Cookson aims to be No1 with new sports nutrition brand

OLIVER Cookson, the entrepreneur who built up and sold sports nutrition brand MyProtein, is returning to the sector with a new venture, GoNutrition.com, which he aims to build into the biggest brand in Europe.

Mr Cookson has invested more than £1.5m in his new business, Monocore. GoNutrition is the second brand to be launched – the first was weight loss concept Saints & Slimmers in December 2012.

He resigned from the board of online retailer The Hut Group late last year and his new venture is entirely un-related to the Northwich-based company which acquired MyProtein in June 2011 for £58m in cash and shares. Mr Cook’s interests retain a substantial shareholding in The Hut.

He told TheBusinessDesk.com: “I am really excited and passionate about GoNutrition, I see major opportunties for growth in the market. In some ways I wish I had never sold MyProtein – maybe I needed it as much as it needed me.

“The sports nutrition market is very competitive, but it is also growing very quickly too. I have confidence in the knowledge I acquired in building MyProtein from scratch, and in my ability to grow another business and disrupt the market.”

The 34-year-old said in some ways the launch of the new brand as a rival to MyProtein was a way of “mitigating my risk”.

He added: “I see it really as going back to my roots with GoNutrition, where I can add a personal touch and create value with fantastic customer service.”

Monocore, which operates from MyProtein’s 17,000 sq ft former base on Roundthorn Industrial Estate, Wythenshawe, employs 25 people. More jobs are likely to be created as orders pick up for GoNutrition, which was launched last week.

The new brand, which offers free delivery to customers, already has 20,000 Twitter followers and Facebook ‘likes’.

Mr Cookson said he was pleased with the progress of Saints & Sinners, which he said was seeing sales growth “month on month”.

“It was something new, and we are still learning. Customers in the weight loss market have different aspirations and we have had to understand those.”

He said Monocore would add more brands in the future, but would not expand beyond nutrition.