The Climbers Shop
The Climbers Shop is a UK independent outdoor retailer operating three stores in Ambleside, Llanberis, and Capel Curig alongside an e-commerce platform, selling technical clothing, footwear, and climbing/mountaineering equipment to outdoor enthusiasts and B2B contract customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1959
- HeadquartersAmbleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
The Climbers Shop firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Climbers Shop
- Legal name
- Hooked on Granite Ltd
- Website
- https://climbers-shop.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1959
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Climbers Shop is a UK independent outdoor retailer operating three stores in Ambleside, Llanberis, and Capel Curig alongside an e-commerce platform, selling technical clothing, footwear, and climbing/mountaineering equipment to outdoor enthusiasts and B2B contract customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Climbers Shop industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Outdoor Retail
- NAICS
- Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)
- SIC
- Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climbing & Mountaineering Gear Retail (CRAMAMAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Outdoor Clothing & Footwear Retail (Camping/Hiking/Climbing) (CRAMAMAK), Camping, Hiking & Climbing Specialty Retail (CRAMABAM), Backpacks, Bags & Load-Carriage Retail (CRAMAMAI), Trekking, Hiking Poles & Trail Accessories Retail (CRAMAMAJ), Outdoor & Hiking Footwear (CRAAACAD), Ski Touring / Backcountry & Avalanche Safety Retail (AT Gear, Skins, Beacons, Probes, Shovels, Airbags) (CRAMAJAD)
Keywords
Where The Climbers Shop is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ambleside, Cumbria
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
The Climbers Shop business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Retail Sales - Physical Stores: In-store sales of outdoor clothing, footwear, climbing equipment, camping gear, and accessories across three physical retail locations in the Lake District and Snowdonia.
- E-commerce Sales: Online sales of full product range with delivery throughout the UK. Operates 24/7 online storefront with DPD and Royal Mail delivery options.
- Contract/Bulk Sales: Bulk equipment sales to outdoor centres, schools, and businesses since the 1960s. Deals with major suppliers including DMM, Petzl, Beal, and Lyon Equipment for ropes, harnesses, helmets, and hardware.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard delivery for UK mainland orders |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Climbers Shop product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Climbers Shop (operated alongside Joe Browns under Hooked on Granite Ltd) is a multi-channel specialist outdoor retailer selling technical clothing, footwear, climbing equipment, camping gear, rucksacks, and trail running equipment. It serves active outdoor enthusiasts through three physical stores in the Lake District and Snowdonia as well as a UK-wide e-commerce site. The retailer complements product sales with expert staff advice, professional footwear fitting, a customer loyalty programme, and bulk contract supply to outdoor centres and schools.
Product overview
The Climbers Shop and Joe Browns operates a multi-channel outdoor retail business combining physical stores with an integrated ecommerce platform. The product portfolio centers on specialist outdoor clothing and equipment organized into six core product categories: Clothing (technical waterproofs, insulation, baselayers, accessories), Footwear (walking boots, climbing shoes, running shoes), Climbing Equipment (ropes, harnesses, helmets, protection, hardware), Camping Equipment (tents, sleeping bags, cooking, lighting), Rucksacks (trekking, climbing, running packs), and Trail Running gear. Supporting services include a Customer Rewards loyalty program, Click & Collect fulfillment, and B2B Contract Sales for institutional buyers. The business serves retail consumers through three UK stores (Ambleside, Llanberis, Capel Curig) and an online shop, all sharing unified pricing, stock, and loyalty points.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Outdoor Clothing Technical outdoor clothing range including waterproof jackets and trousers, baselayers, midlayers, down and synthetic insulation, softshell, shirts, t-shirts, legwear, socks, gloves, hats, and accessories for men and women. Sold to active outdoor enthusiasts through physical stores and online.
- Outdoor Footwear Outdoor footwear including walking boots, mountain boots, approach and trail shoes, climbing shoes, running shoes, plus footwear accessories such as gaiters, insoles, laces, and aftercare. Professional fitting service available in-store for sizes UK3-UK14.5.
- Climbing Equipment Full range of climbing gear including carabiners (locking, non-locking, accessory), quickdraws, protection (nuts, hexes, cams), ice screws, ropes (single, half, twin, triple rated, static), slings, cord and tape, rope bags, belay devices, ascenders, descenders, pulleys, lanyards, harnesses, helmets, bouldering mats, chalk and chalk bags, and climbing packs.
- Winter Gear Winter mountaineering equipment including ice axes (technical, mountaineering, walking), crampons, walking spikes, avalanche safety gear, crampon accessories, and ice axe accessories.
- Camping Equipment Camping gear including tents (1, 2, 3 person), bivi bags, sleeping bags, sleeping bag liners and pillows, sleeping mats, seating, cooking equipment (gas stoves, liquid fuel stoves, pots, pans, food storage, cutlery), lighting (headtorches, lanterns, batteries), drinking solutions, first aid kits, insect protection, sun protection, navigation, guide books, maps, trekking poles, binoculars, dog gear, and travel accessories.
- Rucksacks Bags and packs including walking and trekking packs, climbing packs, expedition packs (50L+), kit bags and duffels, running packs, running vests, waist packs, accessory straps, dry bags, compression sacks, rain covers, and electronics protection.
- Trail Running Gear Running gear including compression clothing, baselayer, tights and shorts, waterproofs, windproofs, hats and caps, gloves, running shoes, running socks, race vests and packs, waistbelts, headtorches, trail running poles, nutrition, hydration, skin care, sunglasses, watches, and guide books.
- Customer Rewards Loyalty Scheme Free-to-join loyalty programme where customers earn rewards on every purchase, redeemable both in-store and online. Linked to customer email and purchase history.
- Click & Collect Order online and collect from any of the three stores (Ambleside, Llanberis, Capel Curig). Items typically ready within 1-2 working days for in-stock items. Free service. Collection requires confirmation email, photo ID, and proof of address; orders held for 10 days.
- Contract/Bulk Sales Bulk equipment supply to outdoor centres, schools, and businesses since the 1960s. Supplies climbing equipment from DMM, Petzl, Beal, Lyon Equipment plus clothing and camping brands. Competitive quotes with same-day despatch available for in-stock items.
Companies that use The Climbers Shop
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Climbers Shop technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
The Climbers Shop partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- British Mountain Guides (BMG)coreOfficial retail partners for the British Mountain Guides since their establishment. BMG is widely recognised as the UK's leading professional mountaineering organisation. Guides work throughout the UK, Europe and worldwide, promoting safety, enjoyment and good practice in climbing and mountaineering. Joe Brown Shops and The Climbers Shop provide working mountain professionals with the best kit available, featuring top brands such as Mountain Equipment, Montane, Black Diamond, La Sportiva, DMM, Scarpa, Rab and Grivel.
- International School of Mountaineering (ISM)coreOfficial retail partner for the International School of Mountaineering (ISM), recognised as the foremost organisation of its kind since 1956. ISM runs extensive summer alpine mountaineering courses from Leysin, Switzerland, plus ski tours, ice climbing, and expeditions to greater ranges. Climbers Shop and Joe Browns offer preferential ISM client prices on clothing and gear for booked course participants.
- World Extreme Medicine (WEM)minorPartnership with World Extreme Medicine, a leading provider of specialised expedition medicine, pre-hospital medicine, conferences and remote medical cover around the world. WEM team are frequent visitors to Joe Brown & The Climbers Shop for clothing and equipment that can stand up to harsh, extreme environments while maintaining performance. WEM hosts annual World Extreme Medicine Conference in Edinburgh.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Climbers Shop competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Decathlon UK: Global outdoor and sports retailer with a major UK store and e-commerce footprint, offering own-label and branded kit at aggressive price points. Pressures specialist retailers across footwear, camping, climbing hardware and apparel.
- Go Outdoors: UK big-box outdoor retailer owned by JD Sports, operating large-format stores plus Blacks Leisure. Overlaps with The Climbers Shop across climbing, camping, walking and running categories with much greater scale and price competitiveness.
- Mountain Warehouse: Largest UK-specialist outdoor retailer by store count (200+), with significantly greater scale, pricing power and supplier terms. Owns Cotswold Outdoor and Ellis Brigham; represents the dominant competitive threat across every category The Climbers Shop sells.
Direct peers
- Cotswold Outdoor: UK specialist outdoor retailer with multi-store footprint and an expert-advice-led proposition covering climbing, hiking and camping kit. Closest like-for-like competitor to The Climbers Shop's specialist positioning; now owned by Mountain Warehouse.
- Rohan: UK-founded specialist outdoor clothing and equipment retailer with stores and e-commerce. Comparable in its UK heritage-brand positioning, multi-channel model and focus on technical outdoor clothing and footwear for active consumers.
- Snow+Rock: UK specialist retailer focused on climbing, mountaineering, skiing and outdoor adventure gear with strong technical product depth. Directly comparable in SKU mix (ropes, hardware, footwear, winter gear) and customer base of committed outdoor enthusiasts.
- Ellis Brigham: UK specialist chain focused on mountain sports — climbing, mountaineering, skiing and hiking — with strong credentials and technical ranges. Closely overlaps The Climbers Shop on climbing equipment and winter/mountaineering categories.
Regional players
- Tiso: Scottish outdoor and ski retailer with stores across Scotland and parts of the UK, stocking climbing, camping, hiking and winter gear. Comparable specialist retailer, but its geographic centre of gravity is Scotland rather than the Lake District/Snowdonia.
- Craigdon Mountain Sports: Independent UK outdoor retailer (north-east based) selling climbing, hiking, camping and running kit online and in-store. Comparable as a UK specialist competing with bigger chains, though a different geography and broader generalist-leaning assortment.
Emerging players
- Needle Sports: Independent, climbing-focused specialist retailer based in the Lake District (Ambleside-adjacent), with deep technical climbing range and strong local reputation. Highly comparable on product mix and customer base, but smaller and single-store.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Climbers Shop social profiles
Digital presenceThe Climbers Shop compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
The Climbers Shop financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Climbers Shop leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The Climbers Shop funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Climbers Shop M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Climbers Shop
What does The Climbers Shop do?
The Climbers Shop (operated alongside Joe Browns under Hooked on Granite Ltd) is a multi-channel specialist outdoor retailer selling technical clothing, footwear, climbing equipment, camping gear, rucksacks, and trail running equipment. It serves active outdoor enthusiasts through three physical stores in the Lake District and Snowdonia as well as a UK-wide e-commerce site. The retailer complements product sales with expert staff advice, professional footwear fitting, a customer loyalty programme, and bulk contract supply to outdoor centres and schools.
Is The Climbers Shop a public or private company?
The Climbers Shop is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Climbers Shop founded?
The Climbers Shop was founded in 1959. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Climbers Shop based?
The Climbers Shop is headquartered in Ambleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Climbers Shop make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Sales - Physical Stores are the primary driver. The others are E-commerce Sales and contract/Bulk Sales.
Who are The Climbers Shop's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Decathlon UK, Go Outdoors and Mountain Warehouse. Direct peers are Cotswold Outdoor, Rohan, Snow+Rock and Ellis Brigham. Regional players are Tiso and Craigdon Mountain Sports. Needle Sports is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Climbers Shop have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Climbers Shop.
What industry is The Climbers Shop in?
The Climbers Shop's product category is Outdoor Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMAMAB, Climbing & Mountaineering Gear Retail, with a secondary code of CRAMAMAK, Outdoor Clothing & Footwear Retail (Camping/Hiking/Climbing). Its NAICS code is 45911 and its SIC code is 5600.