Have you heard about the new fishing tackle shop at Stour Valley Business Park? It’s this big…
It may seem like a long way from the money markets of London to a fishing tackle shop near Canterbury but Andy Reynolds was no ordinary money trader and Fat Fish Tackle is no ordinary tackle shop!
Most people would probably imagine a money broker spending his spare time in some high octane pursuit but Andy was always a keen angler with a particular penchant for the carp. He found the hours spent fishing were the perfect antidote to the stresses of his work. It was no idle hobby though. Andy soon became recognised as something of an expert, writing articles and appearing on TV talking about his sport.
Andy left the City behind in 2000 and moved to Canterbury in search of a more family-friendly life. He took on a role as a trouble shooter for the Youth Hostel Association but fishing remained an important part of his life.
Over the next few years Andy became more and more disillusioned with the retail industry supporting anglers. “Angling is the biggest participant sport in the country and the number of active anglers is growing. Equipment is becoming more sophisticated and expensive but the tackle shops were stuck in the last century. Customer service was poor, shops were untidy and poorly stocked. The rest of the retail world had moved on and I couldn’t understand why the shops serving my sport hadn’t.” Andy reckoned there was an opportunity to drag tackle shops into the 21st century. “I imagined my ideal tackle shop – bright, airy, plenty of stock of all the top brands and the more niche equipment. I wanted to create a shop that people would enjoy coming to, with friendly and knowledgeable staff and open at the times that anglers need it.”
“On my frequent trips up to London my train passed the Stour Valley Business Park and it looked to me like a perfect site for my ideal tackle shop. It’s a great location, very close to Canterbury but with lots of parking and best of all there are 13 carp lakes within 4 minutes of the site!”
Eventually Andy was ready to put his plans into action. He first contacted Stour Valley Estates in October 2010 and decided on a 3000 sq ft unit that had been used as a joinery shop. “The unit needed to be completely stripped out and re-modelled and new electricity supplies and a state of the art security system were installed. Project Director Simon Skelton was incredibly helpful both with the planning application and providing really good contacts to help me through the process from start to finish.”
The shop opened in June 2011 and so far has been a great success. “We’re developing a solid customer base and attracting more people into the shop with demonstration days once a month, including Q&A sessions with top anglers such as Danny Fairbrass. We’re also using social networking to build and grow our community (www.facebook.com/fftackle). And we plan to launch an internet shop next year.”
It’s a far cry from the tackle shops of old and with the help of Stour Valley Estates Andy has realised his dream of a 21st century tackle shop. His only concern is with a growing business how will he find the time to get to those 13 carp lakes tantalising him just 4 minutes away…...
You can contact Andy at Fat Fish Tackle on 01227 733770. Further details on Stour Valley Estates Commercial Properties can be found on this website, or speak to our Property Managers Katie Dove and Sharon Corrigan on 01304 849210.
September 2011
