When co-founder Stuart Theobald announced the launch of RIDGELINE BRANDS, it looked like an unusual line-up with a unique mix of camping and outdoor lifestyle products. As so many UK retailers are blurring the lines between trad outdoor and 21st Century outdoor lifestyle, Ridgeline Brands appeared to be breaking new ground, offering new opportunities, so we had to know more.
He said, “Ridgeline Brands brings premium lifestyle brands from the US and UAE into the UK and Europe; markets they haven’t yet cracked. We’re focused on two major spaces: back garden and camping. Our portfolio includes standout US partner brands, Klean Freak and Pull Start Fire, alongside our own home-grown labels, Moya, Bad Axe and Pure Fire, already proven performers in the UAE.
“First three out of the gate are Pull Start Fire, Klean Freak and Moya, all going in hard from launch. Bad Axe follows into the garden side, and that one has a bit of history. We’ve spent years buying British wood and shipping it out to the Gulf, building the brand there. Bringing it back into the UK feels overdue. The focus this side is on the fire itself, firepits and pizza ovens, which is where the demand is.”
Now building the distributor and agent network across Europe now, most of the brands are launching first in the UK; outdoor industry pillar Dalesman International is on board in the Outdoor and Lifestyle space. Theobald added, “They know the independent trade properly, which is where these brands need to prove themselves before anyone starts talking about volume. More territory partnerships are in the works over the summer, ready for 2027 sell-in.”
At first glance, the portfolio appears to be a rather odd mix. Until, that is, you consider the websites of many of the new generation of retailers seen at the Outdoor Trade Show but not restricting their customer base to keen walkers and climbers. The social media posts of families camping in the back garden sparked a renewed interest in making the most of space to hand.
He explained, “We really wanted to look for gaps in the market where we felt we could offer something whether that’s through innovation or a better product/range offer than competitors have. Bringing small, established U.S. Brands into Europe gives us the confidence that we will only be supplying premium, sellable items that we can directly translate into the EU marketplace. Confidence is key for retailers to take in new brands, and having strong trading histories for all our ranges will add credibility to our discussions.”
At a time when uncertainty is always in the headlines, co-founder Aadil Datta shared where they saw the market heading, “The garden boom has settled into a habit rather than a spike, and people have got a lot more serious about how they use the space. The garden has become another room, and outdoor cooking has moved well past burgers on a kettle.
“The same thing has happened at the campsite. Nobody is roughing it any more, they want to be outdoors without giving up the standards they have at home, and they’ll pay for kit that delivers that.” That is evident to anybody who has been visiting campsites over the past few years with fires being allowed as basic a requirement as Wi-Fi. As with Europe, the experience of being outdoors itself is everything.
Datta shared some of their product story, “That’s why our first three into the UK are Pull Start Fire, Klean Freak and Moya. Pull Start Fire lights a fire in wind and rain with no chemicals and no fiddling, Klean Freak gets you clean when there’s no shower for miles, and Moya keeps your drink cold in genuine heat, which we’ve had plenty of opportunity to test.
“Small things, but they’re the ones that decide whether a weekend is enjoyable or endured. Every single one is a repeat purchase, which is a far better conversation for a retailer than another crowded hardware category. The UAE went through this shift on outdoor living a few years ahead of Europe, so we’ve already built and proven brands for that consumer. That thinking travels well to the UK.”
Contact: stuart@ridgelinebrands.co.uk