Sales hike for Trekitt
AS sure-footed as its hiking and climbing customers, Trekitt is striding into a new sales era with a growth plan that embraces the UK’s outdoors boom without straying off course.
The family firm, a renowned mountain rescue supporter, is run by second-generation brothers Mark and Paul Trepte. They have seen turnover rise by a third to £9 million this year as the business “sticks to the piste and always remembers to do better,” says commercial director Mark.
Primarily an online retailer of quality clothing and equipment, Trekitt’s almost seven million website users, many drawn by a popular rewards scheme, are also getting younger. Over 10 per cent now are in the 18-to-24 age bracket.
While tents predicta- bly are having a major moment this year, the retailer is known as an early adopter of specialist brands. Its how-to videos – for tying laces (so walking boots support ankles) and ensur- ing a backpack fits properly – are also going down a storm, and there is demand for more sustainable wear.
Bestseller Rab’s Microlight jacket, which has undergone an eco revamp with recycled fabric and down-fill, is among “the powerful changemakers our industry needs”, says Mark. As Trekitt taps into the inner rambler it believes resides in most of us, the Treptes’ rock solid confidence is for another good reason too.
The business has learnt how to weather punishing downturns, cut back to the bone, cling on to independence and build back better.
“We know how to survive and not fear change,” says Paul.
Their father Dick’s first Trekitt shop, opened beside the Brecon Beacons national park in 1986, paved the way to 1990s good times when mountaineering moved from niche to mainstream. The business launched more stores and expanded into the surf market.
When that bubble collapsed in the mid-Noughties, Trekitt hunkered down in one store in Hereford, took a Funding Circle loan and switched mainly to online. There it moved mountains and now customers come from the UK, Europe and the US.
“In 2008 the internet was seen as a place for cheap prices. Instead we developed Trekitt online as a quality alternative, a highly knowledgeable source,” say the brothers.
“We haven’t posted a loss since 2006 and constantly reinvest. We’re outdoor enthusiasts and have stayed true to our strengths, focussing on what we know best – technical, good quality, fit-for-purpose kit and caring about our customers and our team.”
Trekitt employs 31 people and its Hereford store has evolved into a “service centre” offering pre-booked consultations.
After securing more warehouse space recently the company will increase stock levels by 60 per cent.
“We’re seeing a sea change in behaviour as more people discover how good it is to be outdoors,” says Mark. “We’re hopeful.”
‘We have stayed true to our strengths’