Alpkits journey to becoming a Living Wage Foundation Employer has not been easy, particularly as we took this step in July 2020 whilst in the middle of a world wide pandemic; but knowing that our staff are paid fairly is not just about doing the right thing, it comes back to who we are and where all this started; our values and common sense; If we balance profit and purpose while rewarding the team fairly, then growth will come naturally.
When Alpkit set out, our founders decided to do things their own way, they built the company on simple values and stuck to them. It just seemed like common sense at the time, but now many years later it turns out they were pretty ground-breaking. We have grown significantly over the years but have continuously asked ourselves what is growth without social responsibility?
As a brand with a deeply engrained passion for the outdoors, the wild places and how important this is to society, there are a number of key factors that underpin the company. We put a tremendous focus on our technical garments and equipment, our sustainability principles and ensuring we source product ethically. But also, that we can give back to our community through the work of our Alpkit Foundation. We are certainly not about doing the minimum, far from it. We are activists, we get things done and fuel great experiences; so, it was fundamental to our values that we empower our people to be their best also and so we have worked towards paying our staff the Living Wage and by being accredited we are holding ourselves to account on a yearly basis.
It is a tough and uncertain time for many retailers and so many would perhaps shy away from increasing payroll costs at such a turbulent time, but we are weathering the storm well and recognise that this is due to the world class product we sell, our incredible customers and not least the people that bring all of this together; the people that work here at Alpkit. The passion, determination and resilience of our team has been put to the test during recent months, but for us a company is more than a legal entity. It's the people we hang out with, the people we interact with and the culture we have created.
There really was no if just when, so as soon as we have been able to, we have committed to being part of the Living Wage Foundation.
Join 7,000 UK businesses like Alpkit, by becoming a Living Wage Employer today.