Home   News   Article

Outdoor brand Alpkit to open its 10th and most northerly store in UK in link-up with The Ledge climbing gym and charity in Inverness


By Val Sweeney

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
Duncan McCallum says the The Ledge has found an excellent partner with Alpkit.
Duncan McCallum says the The Ledge has found an excellent partner with Alpkit.

An award-winning outdoor gear supplier is to open its 10th – and most northerly store – in the UK at a new venture in Inverness.

Alpkit is joining forces with The Ledge Climbing Gym which is due to open in March in the former Bensons for Beds unit in Telford Street

The state-of-the-art climbing centre will feature Scotland’s only Olympic-standard bouldering wall and will also provide a community hub.

The Ledge charity will offer support for a range of people including those rehabilitating from cancer, survivors of sexual violence, non-attending school children, young carers and children at risk of being involved in county line drug dealing.

The opening of the Inverness Alpkit store, which will also include a repair station for outdoor clothing and equipment and a recycling collection point, will result in six new jobs – three full-time and three part-time.

An artist's illustration of The Ledge climbing gym in Inverness.
An artist's illustration of The Ledge climbing gym in Inverness.

The Ledge co-founder Duncan McCallum is "extremely pleased" to have Alpkit as the outdoor retail partner

"There are lots of retailers out there but few, if any, that not only make great kit at the right price but really do support the community aspect of outdoor life," he said.

"Their foundation is testament to the fact that The Ledge charity has found an excellent partner in Alpkit."

Related stories:

Alpkit was founded on friendship when four climbers, frustrated at the price of kit, came together in 2004.

Nearly two decades on, they say they remain committed to their ethos to offer specialist technical performance clothing and equipment at accessible prices.

A digital-first brand, Alpkit creates community hubs in honeypots of outdoor activity such as the Lake District, the Peak District and Snowdonia.

It currently has nine other stores in the UK as well as a thriving website selling gear to climb, camp, hike, swim, bike and run.

Nick Smith, co-founder and managing director of Alpkit, said: "Opening our new Inverness store is such an exciting opportunity for us.

"Community is in the roots of every store we open.

"Partnering with The Ledge Climbing Gym, Scotland’s only Olympic-standard wall and charity, will mean we are at the very heart of such an active and passionate outdoor community."

Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, raising of £2.7mn, Alpkit is continuing its plan to open two stores a year.

The Inverness store will hold the full Alpkit range, the fleet of Sonder bikes, a repair station as well as running

events in the area.

The repair station will repair outdoor clothing and equipment from any brand with Alpkit’s repair heroes working on anything from zip repairs and patches to reconstruction and upcycling.

Alpkit Inverness will also receive donations for the Continuum Project, Alpkit’s contribution to a circular economy.

It will collect outdoor clothing and equipment which is no longer loved and pass it on or recycle it so that it does not go to landfill.

Last month, Alpkit was voted Outdoor Clothing & Equipment Brand of the Year by readers of The Great Outdoors.

It was also awarded Brand of the Year by Country Walking magazine last year and highly commended in the edie Sustainability Awards.


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More