Scotland’s first outdoor sports shop for women opens

About the business

Beinn Nibheis, Scottish Gaelic for Ben Nevis, was launched by Eilidh Skyes in early 2022, and stocks female-owned brands and outdoor clothing for women, both beginners and professionals, who have an interest in outdoor pursuits. 

How Business Gateway has helped

Eilidh accessed a suite of Business Gateway’s start-up services, including 1:1 support from a business adviser, as well as advice on her business plan, funding, and marketing. This support was instrumental for Eilidh receiving a start-up grant from Highland Council which helped towards costs for the initial opening of the store.   

Business Gateway Highland also signposted Eilidh to the Highland Council Coastal Communities Digital Grant, which is only available in Lochaber, and allowed her access to a high-end software system. This system was crucial for integrating her website with the websites of the other brands that she sells. 

Through Business Gateway Highland, Eilidh also attended a webinar dedicated to running and starting a rural business, which discussed the challenges and opportunities that this presents. Strong social media content was identified as essential for launching, which Eilidh was also able to develop through a 1:1 surgery she attended via DigitalBoost, Scotland’s national digital upskilling programme, delivered by Business Gateway.  

Beinn Nibheis has proved extremely popular since launching, and the brand launched its brand-new website in October. Eilidh now has plans to manufacture her very own outdoor clothing range for women.  

Eilidh Sykes, Director, Beinn Nibheis said: “The outdoor clothing market for women is lagging behind and, having been involved in the outdoor industry all my life, I really wanted to tackle this issue by opening my own shop.  

“The support I have received from Business Gateway Highland has been fantastic and I’m so pleased they saw something in my rural business. I felt supported throughout the whole process and have really developed my business knowledge and confidence. The skills I have developed through webinars and surgeries gave me the skills required to consider a physical shop as well as an online presence.”