Alpkit has entered administration, with the company saying it is in advanced talks with a new owner and investment partner in an effort to secure the future of the business.
In a letter sent to shareholders via Crowdcube, Alpkit CEO and co-founder David Hanney said the board had accepted it “must place Alpkit into administration”, describing it as “an extremely sad day for everyone at Alpkit”.
Hanney attributed the move to sustained pressure over the past three years, citing “rapid cost inflation”, a challenging market environment, “new trade barriers”, and the impact of interest rates and recovery loan repayments.
Alpkit says it expects operations to continue through a pre-pack administration process. It says stores are expected to remain open, customer orders to be fulfilled, and jobs to be saved, with staff transferring to the new company. The business also says product development is ongoing, with new ranges already in the pipeline.
The company began in 2004 in the Peak District as a direct-to-consumer outdoor kit brand and has since grown into a national retailer with UK stores. It is also the company behind Sonder bikes.
Alpkit says the value of existing shares will be lost as part of the process. Hanney also told shareholders that those who invested via Alpkit’s crowdfunding rounds would be given shares in the new company.
Further details of any deal are expected to be announced soon.
Alpkit is a brand that is very familiar to us here at Singletrack and we’ve come to it very well over the years through reviews and also through working together on marketing campaigns. Here’s hoping the Alpkit name continues beyond Administration.
That’s a real shame, I hope that they can continue in some form or another. I have quite a few items of MTB/camping gear from them and its always been very good. I like the fact that they are based on some sound ethical principles.
Expected. Opened stores off the back of customer investment and around that time the service and product dive bombed. Its costly to run bricks and morter stores which the owners would had already known from previous business and I would say they added growth on the basis to sell it as a going concern. Few would had factored in what is going on in the UK Retail today I suspect.
I used Alpkit in the early days exclusively and own a Brokenroad and Frontier. Neil is great and he will place somewhere no matter what happens.
The shops are on a permanent fire sale, loads of grief with clothing, I bought a hoddie with 2 right arms, sizing went horrific and I stopped using them totally about 3 years ago.
Last store I visited was Hathersage I think and it was filthy dirty, clothing everywhere, the entire upstairs was just selling seconds and Sonder in the corner was all old rental for sale.
Was actually on the site a few days ago and reading the reviews means not a lot has changed.
Shame as it was literally the go to shop for everything from camping to cycling for me and a lot of people who just want to deal with a independent business and not some warehouse owned by another large entity.
Oh look – there was already a discussion thread on this and lots of users were having a wee dialogue about it. Never mind, let’s just pretend that didn’t happen and that we’re hot on the news front today…
Infuriating, isn’t it?
one of STW’s most infuriating recent directions. Not like their “official” summary adds anything on top of the press release or comments, and it kills what are typical busy threads and replaces them with quieter ones with many not bothering as interesting comments are then split across two threads.
Meh. Not entirely surprising. Their quality dive bombed a few years ago.
For years it was my go-to shop for clothing etc. Then 3/4years ago I bought a couple of jackets; a hard shell and insulating layer. The mid layer lasted a few months ‘til the zip failed and they steadfastly refused to repair or accept as faulty. Very shortly after their waterproof jacket stopped being remotely waterproof. Same story.
Two jackets, same brand and in the bin inside a year after purchase. Never been back.
And as usual they’ve closed the original thread, I’ve always considered this pretty poor!
^ this. Pretty crappy approach to valuing poster contributions by shutting down a good, active existing thread in favour of an ‘official’ thread.
I know, their ball their rules, but FFS folks.
Does anyone want to buy some shares in a brand new outdoors company? I’ve got some going cheap.
It’s poor form that you take over and close threads which already have traction just so you can start your own mirror thread.
And it shows little appreciation for the users who contribute to the forum.
But then given i’m peering around a wall of ads just to type this, the data harvesting on “user polls" and general enshitification of the website of late. I’m guessing we’re only a few months away from the “you’ll never guess what happened next" phase of the downward spiral.
Gotta say, this is tossery.
@mark – why?
It would be good if there was a way to copy and paste the old discussion into the new one so people could carry on
[Mod] now re-opened https://singletrackworld.com/forum/off-topic/alpkit-into-administration
Surely a thread can be merged with a news story? Even if they cut n paste each comment into the new thread under their article?
The article could just end with something like “And here’s the thread that already has started on the forum with contributions from actual shareholders" ?
First question: why?! Brick and mortar retail is a shockingly tough business right now – even long-established high-street brands like WH Smith are finding it too tough to keep going, so why would you even consider doing this?!
I’m sorry, but that is some shocking decision-making, and with the benefit of 20:20 hindsight and no involvement whatsoever (ie being a bit of a ignorant d*ck about it) it’s pretty clear that is a big part of what went wrong.
Obviously I hope it can come back and continue doing what it does; but a good first step might well be to go back to what built it in the first place – good quality products at surprisingly good prices, delivered online
Fair play.
This thread should be closed. There’s already one covering this subject.
When a story is posted by staff a thread is automatically generated and posted in the forum. I’ve asked the mods to repoen the original.
Presumably because an official STW post on the subject is acknowledgement that it’s a definite story, as opposed to an industry rumour, for example? I suppose the occasional poster or lurker (all adding to the page views vs clicks) aren’t as inclined to take it as fact if it’s a thread from a forum user; if STW post, it’s a given.
Anyhows, need to order a new backpack; do I chance it?
And close this one please. There’s no merit in two running – if ‘normal’ posters started 2 threads, the duplicate would be closed. I understand it happened ‘non deliberately’ but now the duplicate has been identified, it should be closed.
That’s a real shame. They are always my go to for outdoor gear. I like their products, prices, sustainability and charitable contribution. I use their Bristol store. It has always been a great place to shop with helpful staff and good stock (and coffee). I have never had a problem with the quality of anything from them.
As for the comments about the thread being on the forum, some of us just look at what’s on the front page for new stories. I don’t use the forum much anymore.
I have used them quite a lot this year for bikepacking and general bike wear and always been really happy with the cost and quality + they at least have always appeared to be a ‘good’ company. Really like the Jeanius jeans and the woodsmoke shirts.
I feel that opening shops was a retrograde step. I bought a lot of kit back in the mail order days much of which I am still using. However it was cheap as although not as good a quality as some top brands. Now it is still not quite as good as top brands but costs nearly as much.
Like I said above (but it got lost in the multiple thread shenanigans) – how was “open brick and mortar stores" in any way a logical step for a successful small online brand? Brick and mortar chains up and down the country are going bust, even WH Smith is struggling, Evans is gone, Sports Direct is now just a jumble warehouse run on zero hours contract. Honestly, seeing Alpkit reach administration is sad, but opening high street stores is probably a very large part of why.
And are the people who made that particularly asinine decision still going to be in charge of the new phoenix Alpkit??
Why is this thread still open? The multiple thread nonsense has been happening for many months now, and is pretty poor form imo.
Sort it out.
If it bothers you, just post on the original and ignore this one.
Mark explained above, when they create an article it opens a forum thread, i presume this is essential to how the news article comment feature works, because the forum thread contents appears as comments under the news article on the front page.
I mean possibly STW could merge the original thread into this one, but then you’d probably get someone else whinging on that “why did you close the original thread not the new one?!?!"
Forums are closing left right and centre and believe me, it’s a thankless task running/moderating them.
This is a very good one still clinging on, that you can use FOR FREE.
Please keep that in mind when you are a non-paying member and are telling them to “Sort it out."
IMHO.