Clip ‘n Climb
facilities in New Zealand, England and China and another will open in the USA by the end of the next financial year. “Clip ‘n Climb ‘created’ the Fun Climbing sector and is the clear
international market leader. The key to the brand’s success has been a firm commitment to quality and innovation, with new Challenges being added to the range each year. And while we pride ourselves on the quality of our products, it is the owners and their staff that bring it to life. We estimate that over 5 million people each year visit Clip ‘n Climb centres and enjoy an exceptional customer experience. This is recognition that our comprehensive staff training programme is working well. Networking between the various centre owners is very strong and there were over 70 owners at the last European Owners Meeting in Manchester. Clip ‘n Climb is a licensed business model whereby owners can pick and choose the kind of support they require. It comes with an exclusive territory and all the benefits of a successful brand.”
Is ‘Fun Climbing’ a fad or has it got legs? “Well, indoor climbing has been around since the early nineties and the market is still growing. I believe the popularity of climbing is due to an innate urge to climb … we crawl, we walk…. we climb. Clip ‘n Climb may just seem like fun but like the sport of climbing it provides physical and mental exercise, and it can help develop self-confidence and people’s willingness to accept challenge. Life is not without risk and Clip ‘n Climb enables people to take perceived risks in a safe and supportive environment. As a business model Clip ‘n Climb differs from conventional climbing centres, where climbers pay an entry fee and can stay as long as they want that day. Clip ‘n Climb operates on the basis of a timed session, usually one hour, meaning the same equipment can earn multiple fees during a day.”
Would you change anything about the way you did it now? “Looking back and considering things in hindsight I don’t think we would do things very differently. We staged the growth of the company to ensure that we had the capacity and capability to cope with the extra business. We launched a state of the art Auto Belay to replace the American device which had high operating costs. In a joint venture with Christchurch-based Holmes Solutions the market leading TruBlue Auto Belay was born. However, rather than take on another business venture we sold our 50% stake and used the funds to accelerate the global rollout of Clip ‘n Climb. The product is now manufactured in Boulder, Colorado by HeadRush Tech who have developed several other outstanding products based on the same eddy current braking technology.
“Funded initially by two guys working long hours with very large
mortgages the company became self-funding after about four years. Manufacturing licenses granted to Entre-Prises Climbing Walls added hugely to production capacity and value through having a partner with deep market knowledge and a factory close to the huge European market. When Tim exited the business 18 months ago to follow other pursuits his shareholding was acquired by Entre-Prises, a move which confirmed their confidence in this growing market sector and the emergence of Clip ‘n Climb as a genuine global brand.”
And what’s next? “Very shortly the company will launch an innovative new device to replace the standard karabiner on the end of an Auto Belay line. It has been co-developed with Design Energy in New Zealand and the company is confident BelayMate will prove to be another game changer in terms of safety and risk management in climbing. Overall the company is confidently forecasting further strong growth during the year ahead with new strategies being introduced in the USA and Asia in response to market demands.”
February 2017
www.globalamusementsandplay.com 17
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28