A SHOP in Fort William that is claimed will be the first Scottish outdoor sports retailer for women and owned by a women is set to launch.
Owner Eilidh Sykes secured funding of £47,500 from Royal Bank of Scotland to cover initial start-up costs, stock purchases, a lease deposit and shop fittings for Beinn Nibheis which will open in the town that is known as the UK's outdoor capital in May.
The store, located on the corner of Cameron Square, will predominantly stock female-owned brands and offer advice for women, beginners and pros, with an interest in outdoor pursuits.
By proudly stocking select brands, the business hopes to encourage more women to take up sports and enjoy activities in the great outdoors, the firm said.
Ms Sykes also has ambitions to open a second location in Aviemore in the coming years, where she plans to manufacture and stock her own range of outdoor clothing aimed at women.
Eilidh Sykes, Beinn Nibheis director, said: “I have been involved in the outdoor industry all my life, as a keen outdoor enthusiast and hillwalker and working alongside my father (Ian Sykes) and the retail business he founded - Nevisport.
"I recognised a gap in the market for outdoor clothing designed specifically for females with most retailers simply providing male or unisex options at present.
“I was attracted to Royal Bank of Scotland following its ‘Ask for More’ campaign which supports women in business.
"It has been seamless working with my relationship manager, and it was an added bonus that my local enterprise manager, Mairi Macdonald, was a Gaelic speaker like myself. It felt very personal as Gaelic culture is something I’m keen to champion through my business.”
Nevisport was founded in 1970 by climbers Mr Sykes and Ian Sutherland, and was acquired after their retirement by Jacobs & Turner Ltd leading to the company’s headquarters and warehouse relocating to Glasgow.
Allan Campbell, direct relationship manager at Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “Supporting female entrepreneurs, especially those in rural communities, is something we are very passionate about, so it was a privilege to complete this deal for Eilidh.
"It is only the beginning for her and Beinn Nibheis, and I look forward to supporting them into a successful future.”
Value of ‘Hollow Mountain’ underlined
ENERGY giant Drax has underlined the value of its ‘hollow mountain’ energy storage facility in Argyll amid the fallout from the war in Ukraine.
Drax said the Cruachan pumped storage facility along with hydro schemes on Scottish rivers had continued to play an important role in ensuring the security of energy supplies in recent weeks.
Hiring difficulties at record level in UK
A RECORD 78 per cent of UK firms attempting to recruit faced difficulties in finding staff in the first quarter, a survey by British Chambers of Commerce shows.
The business organisation noted hospitality, construction, logistics and manufacturing firms were most likely to have reported difficulties but declared “all sectors have significant issues”. Smaller firms reported increasing wage pressures were making it harder to compete for staff.
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