The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Sadly the rise of "web-Based" dealers is causing a slowdown in high street dealers.... which is sad as with interweb dealers you can't go and handle the rod or reel to see if it "Fits" you... the thing I dislike are the high street dealers who decry the web based sales stealing their trade but who run a web based side operation... you can't have it both ways... or then again perhaps you can...?

There is only one independent dealer local to me and that is Keswalls all the others have gone to the wall.... and the ones that are left seem to be all carping based... my nearest dealer (10 miles away) is part of the Angling Direct chain and although it is local, it is far from ideal... again Carp gear takes most of the floor space with one aisle for match and coarse and half an aisle each for sea and predator with nothing for game... maybe the spread of gear for sale is down to local habits and other branches have a different customer demographic...

all I can say is support any high street based shop if you want to see what you are buying up close rather than on a PC screen

Thankfully, My local tackle shop is Apollo Tackle - slap bang in the middle of the Marsh Farm lake complex. I suspect that a steady clientele is almost guaranteed. It would be interesting to know if this is a business model that could be extrapolated across the UK to other fishing venues.
Russ

I suspect that it's not just the rise of online buying (and the effect that has on the margins that other dealers can operate with) but the radical change in fishing habits over the last 20 years. To survive these days a dealer is nearly always obliged to carry substantial stock for the carpers and polefishers (which will be much more expensive - there are many poles that retail at £1k plus these days), there are few who can survive without this, especially if they don't own the freehold of their shop (as Gerry's did) are in a central urban area and are not dominant in a local niche market (e.g. game fishing tackle in certain areas). It's just another example of the general phenomenon that has led to our High Streets being dominated by chains and charity shops.

Sad to see Gerry's has gone. I used to go there from the very early days up until the mid 80's and still have loads of tackle, some unused! and bearing their Gerry's price tickets!!
It was a short bus or train ride from Raynes Park to Wimbledon as a lad, then I found myself working in the Village so I would frequently nip down in my lunch break, just to browse or so I thought!! hence the unused items still in the workshop.
The staff were always so helpful and obliging, again a sad day for local tackle shops.

I'm quite sad to hear that this shop is closed.
It was one of the first fishing tackle Shops I visited at the Age of 18 in London, now over 32 years ago...

I wish them well in there retirement. Like bennets a household name..
Sign off the times as well I think if it was still profitable it could have been sold on like any profitable buisness.
There is not the numbers angling anymore.
And competition is high due to internet sales.