Scaling the Market: Which Route Will the Indoor Climbing Industry Take?

Indoor climbing is on the rise.

As an instructor on the frontline, I see the excitement and enthusiasm generated by the Paris Olympics. Parents ask me, “How do they hang on just with their fingers?”, “Can you explain to me the points system in bouldering?”, “Have you seen Free Solo?!” (Yes, and my hands sweat just thinking about it).

Indoor climbing has, however, been growing for some time. Data from Sport England estimates that in 2015/16 there were 262,100 regular climbers in England. In 2022/23, that number stands at 375,900, an increase of 43%. For comparison, participation in football and swimming fell by 7% and 14%, respectively, over the same period¹.

It’s no surprise that this growth in popularity has been met by an increase in the number of climbing gyms popping up all over the country. The Climbing Hangar chain, founded in 2011, now manages nine sites across the UK and aims to reach up to 50 sites in total². Other chains, such as The Depot, are also expanding, with much anticipation surrounding their new Big Depot in Manchester, due to open this year.

Overall Landscape

The distribution of climbing gyms across the UK is clearly not uniform. We see a high density of gyms in the largest cities: London, Bristol, Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. These are also the cities that are home to the highest population of people between the ages of 18 and 34 — those who are most likely to be found at a climbing wall³.

It is no surprise that we see more gyms situated in areas with large addressable markets (the size of the potential customer base for a climbing gym). These are profit-driven entities that survive by boosting footfall year-on-year.

However, the UK indoor climbing market is not yet fully saturated. There are still highly populated areas currently uncatered for by an ecosystem of climbing gyms competing for their business. One example is Peterborough, a relatively young city with good access to Central London. This city is currently served by two climbing gyms, each of them roughly 40 minutes away from the city center by car. Given the growth of Peterborough’s population, as well as that of surrounding areas (up to 17.5%, exceeding the overall increase for England), and further expected growth in the future, it provides a potential opportunity for additional gyms to move into the area⁴.

Secondly, echoing the analysis carried out by ICP⁵, only three climbing gyms in the whole of Northern Ireland serve a total population of roughly 2 million people. This presents a potentially “unique market opportunity” to develop the indoor climbing scene in the region⁶.

Chains vs Single Sites

A perhaps more interesting insight appears when we look at the distribution of chains (climbing gyms managing multiple sites) versus single-site gyms.

Nationally, we see that single-site gyms represent two-thirds of climbing gyms in the UK. Many of these are of the kind set up in the early days of indoor climbing, providing a space for outdoor climbers to train during the cold winter months. While found in the large cities, their distribution across the UK is much broader than that of the chains, often appearing in isolation and serving low-populated areas.

Climbing gym chains represent the other third but are fast-growing. They are strategically situated in large cities, offering members access to multiple sites within a small area. They also offer more than just climbing. Fully kitted cafes with high-quality food provide a space for co-working, meetings, and remote working, while their cleanliness and modern-style route setting makes them all the more Instagrammable. Also becoming more common are sessions dedicated to particular groups of people, e.g., female-only boulder nights and LGBTQ+ sessions, making these gyms even more accessible to a wider cohort of potential customers.

Some single-site gyms have been on the ball. The Castle in North London has in recent years expanded its cafe and social space. But others, particularly those caught off guard by the rapid expansion of the industry, are already feeling the effects of having one of the chains establish itself in the same neighborhood. Unless these sites make an effort to learn what their customers want out of a climbing gym, and invest accordingly, they are likely to see an exodus of customers heading toward the chains. The move will be exponential due to the social network effects of the industry, whereby customers value a gym more if their friends also climb there — once one member of the group moves, the rest will follow.

Next Time

In this article, we have looked at the distribution of climbing gyms across the UK and seen how this distribution differs by the ownership structure (chain vs. single site). In the next article, I’ll delve into some price analysis, comparing the entry prices offered by gyms in different regions and how prices correlate with the ownership structure.

If you have found this article useful or have a climbing-related topic you’d be interested in investigating further, then please let me know. Similarly, if you are aware of any datasets that may be useful for such analyses, please reach out, as data gathering in the world of climbing is still in its infancy.

Notes

(1) All analysis based on publicly available data. (2) Certain types of climbing walls, such as those that are part of an activity centre, have been removed from the analysis. (3) Original list of gyms based on BMC Climbing Wall Finder. Additional gyms added manually. (4) Categorization into Single Site and Chain has been done manually, and may not be 100% accurate. 

1. https://www.sportengland.org/research-and-data/data/active-lives/active-lives-data-tables#november-2022-23-34010

2

3. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1084952/age-distibution-of-independent-climbers-in-the-uk/

4. https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censuspopulationchange/E06000031

5. https://climbicp.com/resource-hub/2024-global-indoor-climbing-gym-stats/

6. https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/population/mid-year-population-estimates