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A bouldering unique concept

After several years creating and fine-tuning our unique climbing brand – a bouldering/restaurant concept in our first 3 gyms (Cergy-Pontoise, Paris and Evry-Lisses) – we are pursuing our expansion in the rest of France by creating the Block'Out franchise.
The operational success of our first 3 gyms now enables us to offer the benefit of our well-known brand name and the network we have managed to build.
In a context of rapid growth on the climbing market but also of fierce competition, access to our experience and know-how will enable you to bring your project successfully to fruition and to live comfortably from the income.

The Block'Out concept and culture

The Block'Out adventure began in 2008 when two friends, Emmanuel Charruau and Arnaud Pioger, became associates. As climbing enthusiasts who loved the Forest of Fontainebleau, they decided to try to fill a void in the Paris region:

  • By proposing an indoor climbing facility that could cater both to beginners and experienced climbers;
  • By proposing a lively, relaxed and friendly atmosphere where users can mingle and create true bonds.

To meet this dual objective, the founders of Block'Out decided to create an unusual space combining both bouldering (as found at Fontainebleau, without ropes and harnesses, which they consider a style of climbing that is more convivial and better suited to urban lifestyles) and a real restaurant/bar in which climbers could share their exploits or relax at the end of a session.

An important part of the concept is that non-climbers are also welcome and can enjoy varied food in a pleasant, friendly atmosphere while watching the climbers.

Block'Out Franchise origins

Block'Out Cergy-Pontoise served as the laboratory for this idea and proved successful, in a region where climbing had, until then, been almost absent.

Wishing to continue its growth and to fulfil the expectations of Parisian climbers for whom a visit to Cergy was something of an epic voyage, Block'Out opened a new facility in Saint Ouen, on the northern edge of Paris, in September 2012 and another in Lisses, about 25km south of Paris in August 2014.

Our ever-growing experience has ensured that the Block'Out concept and spirit is now thriving. More and more people are loyal to us, justifying the energy spent on satisfying our customers in terms of the quality of the climbing we offer, the quality of our restaurant and the quality of our service. In 2016-17 we hope to extend the network with the opening of our next two climbing facility-restaurants in Paris-Bercy and Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines-Versailles.

In the French regions, given that our business is above all one of proximity and human relations, we have chosen to continue our growth through a franchise system in which we accompany our future franchisees by sharing the values and know-how of our brand.

Indeed, it is this love of a job well done that has made Block'Out the leader of the French climbing gym market.
A Block'Out climbing-restaurant facility, depending on the selected equipment and location, costs between €1.3m and €1.6m to build.

A minimum personal investment of €200,000 is therefore recommended. The contract is for a duration of 9 years.

The franchise contract

The entry ticket is €30,000 and includes:

  • The setting up of a personal accompaniment in the choice of premises, the market research, the creation of the Business Plan, the search for financing, the creation of the business and follow-up of the building works;
  • The benefit of negotiated prices with the Block'Out network suppliers for the works and purchase of equipment;
  • Initial training in Block’Out’s existing facilities in order to assimilate the Block'Out know-how in the field and in day-to-day management.

The annual fee is 10% of sales and includes:

  • Integration into our communication network, especially our web site and its administration interface,
  • The advantage of negotiated prices from the Block'Out network suppliers in day-to-day operations,
  • Technical and sales assistance on a daily basis,
  • Continuous training to ensure that your skill levels are constantly updated and to benefit from our network’s best practices.

A fast growing and increasingly competitive market

Having been an obscure, exclusive activity for many years, probably due to the fact that it was only practised outdoors and that there were no private indoor climbing walls, climbing has now become spectacularly popular as demonstrated by the 66,731 members of the French mountaineering and climbing federation (FFME) and its 50% growth in the past 10 years.

A promising market

Without the constraints of bad weather, indoor climbing facilities provide fun and challenges in an urban setting, giving city dwellers a sense of freedom and nature that they are unable to benefit from for most of the year.

In recent years therefore, indoor climbing has become a fully-fledged activity in its own right, with its own codes and pleasures. Indoor climbing facilities have become a place where everybody can have fun, learn and surpass themselves. The number of climbers is growing, and many of them only climb on artificial climbing structures.

To meet the increasing demand, many private indoor climbing gyms have opened in many different regions, including some not far from the mountains or other well-established climbing areas. Today, indoor climbing is an established social activity with its own distinctive culture that offers a serious alternative to traditional fitness gyms.

In the coming years, the growth in the number of new climbing facilities is unlikely to slow down, on the contrary.

By choosing to open as a Block'Out facility, the entrepreneur has all the ingredients to make his or her business a success by benefiting from our proven know-how and close support: this provides a significant advantage in an increasingly competitive environment.

The candidate's profile

Experience in the management of an ‘ERP’ (Establishment Open to the Public)
Experience in catering
Experience in retail
Capacity to withstand stress
Good physical condition
Attentiveness
An entrepreneurial spirit

How to contact us

If this initial presentation of the Block'Out franchise interests you and corresponds fully to your professional project, please send an application to bo-franchise@blockout.fr.

Your application should include the following:

– A CV with photo;

– A letter of motivation;

– The location (country, region, city/town) in which you would like to set up business;

– The characteristics of the planned premises, if you have any;

– The level of progress of your project (market survey, team, quotations, etc.);

– The amount you will invest personally.

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