Alpkit makes a range of outdoor clothing and gear. Photo: Paudie Spillane
The UK’s fastest-growing outdoor and bike brand is inviting its customers to become shareholders in the company.
Alpkit said shares will go on sale via a crowdfunding scheme.
The Nottingham-based company said people will be able to invest amounts from £10 when the scheme is launched. It plans to open the offer at the end of June.
An Alpkit spokesperson said: “This bold step follows record sales over the last 10 weeks and reflects Alpkit’s ethos of being outside together.
“Alpkit firmly believes that the outdoors is for everyone and is to offer shares from £10 at this time of expansive growth for the company.”
Alpkit chief executive David Hanney
Chief executive and co-founder David Hanney said: “This is an exciting time for Alpkit and it’s truly wonderful to have such a special bond with our customers.
“For a long time, customers have asked us whether it would be possible to invest in Alpkit. We’ve grown rapidly since we were founded and we know we wouldn’t be here without the loyal support of our customers.”
Alpkit was started in 2004, and says it was founded on the belief that it’s possible to make gear that works harder and costs less and is the only UK brand to sell equipment for running, hiking, climbing, camping, swimming and biking.
Much of its range is manufactured in the far east, but it also makes products in the UK in its own factory in Nottingham.
It also has stores in Hathersage, Ambleside, Keswick and the Metrocentre in Gateshead.
Mr Hanney was previously chief financial officer at GO Outdoors. Fellow directors Nick Smith and Colin Fisher worked at Rab owners Equip Outdoor and Rohan respectively before joining Alpkit.
The Alpkit team
The Nottingham company also stages events: all stores host talks, rides and runs and every year Alpkit puts on the Big Shakeout, where 1,000 people gather for a weekend of adventure and entertainment
One per cent of its sales goes to the Alpkit Foundation, an independent charity set up to remove barriers to getting outdoors and experiencing wild places.
Anyone interested in investing will need to sign up with CrowdCube. The offer aims to raise £750,000 of capital for Alpkit. All the company’s current shares are owned by its founders, who said they will also be taking part in the crowdfunding offer.
More details of the share offer, including potential risks of investing, are in Alpkit’s Outside Together page.
Rob Murray Brown
18 June 2020Not a good bet. PR is mainly just that. Huge debts and stock and tiny profits for company 'doing so well'. Avoid.
Sheepy
19 June 2020If they were viable then the private equity or banks would be backing. Of course they would require personal guarantees from the directors when it goes wrong.
16 years and they're having to crowd fund?
As the Dragons will often say...............Sorry, I'm out!
Craig Parkinson
19 June 2020No dividends for 3 years and no ability to sell your shares for the foreseeable future. Stay away, it's like them getting an interest free loan from the bank and not having to pay it back.
Extremely high-risk investment.
Kipling130
28 June 2020Lots of risk and no returns anytime soon.
Alpkit's business model worries me. They're constantly out of stock of popular lines yes instead of investing in stock (as unfashionable as that is) they're spending vast sums on retail shops, just as the world is moving away from the high street. For me you could invest into the stock and sell it to an already established customer base. As my old boss (in the retail industry) used to say they're risking becoming busy fools working hard and earning little.
There consumed £1.9million of investment funding since 2017 and those guys will be getting a return.
I really think a back to basics approach is needed and as much as I'd like to invest the more I look the more concerns I have.