HOOKED ON GRANITE LIMITED

What HOOKED ON GRANITE LIMITED does

HOOKED ON GRANITE LIMITED is a privately-held UK specialist outdoor retailer operating under two historic trade names — The Climbers Shop (founded 1959 in Ambleside by Frank Davies) and Joe Browns (founded 1966 in Llanberis by legendary climber Joe Brown CBE). The company acquired Joe Browns from Val Brown in 2005 and The Climbers Shop from Ben Lyon in 2012, and is majority owned by Paul and Cathy Casey, who serve as Directors alongside Gill Barnicott. The business serves individual outdoor enthusiasts and institutional buyers through three physical retail stores located in the Lake District (Ambleside) and Snowdonia (Llanberis, Capel Curig), complemented by a unified ecommerce platform, mail order, and a B2B contract/bulk sales channel.

The product range spans technical clothing, footwear, climbing equipment, camping gear, rucksacks, trail running equipment, and winter/mountaineering gear from 90+ brands including Mountain Equipment, Montane, Rab, Scarpa, La Sportiva, DMM, Black Diamond, Petzl, and Grivel. The underlying technology stack is standard ecommerce infrastructure — Citrus-Lime Cloud POS integrated with an own-storefront website offering Click & Collect across all three stores, payment processing via Sage Pay (128-bit SSL), PayPal, and Klarna, with Google Analytics and AddThis for measurement and social sharing. UK Standard Delivery is free over £75, with Next Day By Noon at £9.95 and Saturday delivery at £14.95; international delivery is not offered.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time product transactions across consumer and institutional segments. The primary customer segment is individual outdoor enthusiasts (climbers, walkers, trail runners, mountaineers, campers), with a secondary B2B segment comprising outdoor centres, schools, and businesses purchasing equipment in bulk. Distribution channels include the three physical stores, ecommerce with integrated Click & Collect, phone and email mail order, and direct contract sales. Marketing is conducted through content (buyers guides, care guides, the Outdoor Gear Chat podcast, and the Joe Brown Outdoor Academy), event sponsorships (Ali's Round, Petzl Lunar Round, Mountain Goat Circuit, Small People Big Adventures with Leo Houlding), social media, and a Customer Rewards loyalty scheme.

Name

HOOKED ON GRANITE LIMITED

Legal name

Hooked on Granite Ltd

Website

https://climbers-shop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialist Outdoor Retail

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Shoe Retailers (45821)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Climbing & Mountaineering Gear Retail (CRAMAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Camping, Hiking & Backpacking Gear Retail (CRAMAMAA), Outdoor Clothing & Footwear Retail (Camping/Hiking/Climbing) (CRAMAMAK), Backpacks, Bags & Load-Carriage Retail (CRAMAMAI)

Keywords

• Outdoor equipment retail
• Technical outdoor clothing
• Climbing equipment retail
• Camping equipment retail
• Mountaineering equipment supply

Headquarters

HQ city

CAERNARFON, GWYNEDD

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Sale of outdoor clothing, footwear, climbing equipment, camping gear, and accessories through physical retail stores and ecommerce platform. Revenue generated through one-time product transactions with optional finance options.
2. Contract/Bulk Sales: Bulk equipment sales to outdoor centres, schools, and businesses. Offers competitive pricing for volume purchases with same-day despatch capability for in-stock items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hooked On Granite Limited operates the unified The Climbers Shop and Joe Browns retail business, selling technical outdoor clothing, footwear, climbing, camping, trail-running, winter, and mountaineering equipment through three physical stores and an own online store. It also provides Click & Collect, phone and email mail-order ordering, and bulk equipment sales to outdoor centres, schools, and businesses.

Product overview

HOOKED ON GRANITE LIMITED operates two historic outdoor retail brands — The Climbers Shop (established 1959) and Joe Browns (established 1966) — as a unified e-commerce platform combined with three physical stores in Ambleside, Llanberis, and Capel Curig. The offering is a multi-category outdoor equipment and apparel retail business organized around a single integrated online store. The core products span five main categories: (1) Clothing and accessories encompassing waterproofs, baselayers, midlayers, insulation, and footwear; (2) Climbing equipment including ropes, harnesses, helmets, carabiners, protection devices, and belay systems; (3) Camping gear comprising tents, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, and lighting; (4) Footwear covering walking boots, climbing shoes, and trail running shoes; and (5) Rucksacks and packs for various outdoor activities. Supporting services include Click & Collect across all three stores, mail order support, and a Customer Rewards loyalty scheme. The company also operates a B2B contract sales division serving outdoor centres, schools, and businesses with bulk equipment purchases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Climbers Shop: Specialist outdoor clothing and equipment shop established 1959 in Ambleside, Lake District.
• Joe Browns

Products and services

• The Climbers Shop & Joe Browns Online Store Own e-commerce storefront for outdoor clothing, footwear, climbing equipment, camping gear, rucksacks, and accessories, with online shopping, Click & Collect, mail order, and UK delivery.
• Clothing Technical outdoor clothing including waterproof jackets and trousers, baselayers, midlayers, down and synthetic insulation, softshell garments, shirts, T-shirts, legwear, socks, gloves, hats, and clothing accessories.
• Footwear Outdoor footwear including walking boots, mountain boots, approach and trail shoes, climbing shoes, running shoes, and footwear accessories such as gaiters, insoles, laces, and aftercare products.
• Climbing Equipment Climbing equipment including ropes, harnesses, helmets, carabiners, quickdraws, protection devices, belay devices, ascenders, descenders, pulleys, slings, ice screws, bouldering mats, and climbing accessories.
• Camping Equipment Camping equipment including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, camping furniture, stoves, cookware, lighting, water treatment, and camp food.
• Rucksacks Rucksacks and bags including walking and trekking packs, climbing packs, expedition packs, running packs and vests, duffel bags, dry bags, and accessories.
• Trail Running Gear Trail running gear including running clothing, running footwear, race vests and packs, hydration systems, nutrition, and accessories.
• Winter/Ice Climbing Gear Winter and ice climbing equipment including ice axes, crampons, walking spikes, avalanche safety gear, and winter climbing protection.
• Mountaineering Equipment Mountaineering gear and footwear for high-altitude and expedition climbing activities.
• Contract/Bulk Sales Bulk equipment sales service for outdoor centres, schools, and businesses, supplying climbing equipment, ropes, harnesses, helmets, and outdoor clothing with competitive volume pricing and same-day despatch capability for in-stock items.
• Click & Collect Online order collection service from the Ambleside, Llanberis, or Capel Curig stores, with orders typically ready for collection within 1–2 working days.
• Mail Order Phone- and email-based ordering service available Monday–Friday 09:00–17:30 for customers who prefer not to shop online.
• Customer Rewards Loyalty Scheme Free-to-join loyalty programme that allows customers to earn rewards on purchases online and in-store, with points redeemable across both channels.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• British Mountain Guides (BMG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial retail partners for the British Mountain Guides. Working extensively throughout the UK, Europe and further afield, the BMG represents the best professional mountain guides. The partnership provides working mountain professionals with the best kit available from brands such as Mountain Equipment, Montane, Black Diamond, La Sportiva, DMM, Scarpa, Rab and Grivel.
• International School of Mountaineering (ISM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial retail partner for ISM, recognised as the foremost organisation of its kind since 1956, running extensive programme of summer alpine mountaineering courses. ISM clients receive preferential pricing on all clothing and gear including new ice tools, replacement mountain boots or technical alpine clothing.
• World Extreme Medicine (WEM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Extreme Medicine is a leading provider of specialised expedition medicine, pre-hospital medicine, conferences and remote medical cover. WEM team are frequent visitors to Joe Brown & The Climbers Shop where the best kit supplied by real outdoor enthusiasts can be found.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mountain Warehouse: Large UK outdoor retail chain with extensive store estate and value-focused positioning. Comparable in product categories (clothing, footwear, camping, hiking) but differentiated by price point and scale.
• Cotswold Outdoor: UK's largest specialist outdoor retail chain with multiple stores across the country. Directly comparable as a multi-store specialist outdoor retailer selling clothing, footwear, climbing, camping, and hiking equipment to UK consumers.
• Ellis Brigham: UK specialist outdoor and mountain sports retailer. Comparable curated multi-store approach focused on technical clothing, climbing, and mountaineering equipment for serious outdoor participants.
• Snow+Rock: UK specialist outdoor and snow sports retailer with multiple stores. Comparable product mix in technical clothing, footwear, and climbing/mountaineering equipment serving similar UK outdoor enthusiasts.
• Tiso: Scottish specialist outdoor retailer with stores and ecommerce. Comparable multi-category outdoor specialist serving UK climbers, walkers, and mountaineers with similar curated brand assortment.
• Rohan: UK specialist outdoor clothing retailer with own-brand technical apparel and accessories. Comparable as a UK-focused specialist retailer serving walking, hiking, and travel outdoor customers.

Others

• Backcountry.com: US-based online outdoor and climbing equipment retailer. Comparable in ecommerce-led technical outdoor equipment retail and product curation but operates in a different geography and at larger digital scale.
• Patagonia (retail division): Premium outdoor apparel and equipment brand with direct retail and wholesale channels. Adjacent rather than direct — operates as brand-owner and manufacturer, not as an independent multi-brand retailer, but competes for the same climbing/mountaineering customer.

Broad incumbents

• Decathlon: Global sports and outdoor retailer with a major UK footprint. Comparable product categories across all outdoor activities but operates at much larger scale with deep private-label offering across entry-level price points.

Emerging players

• V12 Outdoor: UK-based climbing and outdoor equipment retailer focused on technical climbing gear. Comparable in climbing-specific product focus and specialist positioning but smaller and primarily ecommerce-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ClimbersShop/?locale=en_GB
• Instagraminstagram.com/climbersshop/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hooked-on-granite-limited

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HOOKED ON GRANITE LIMITED