Angling Direct buy out Erics Angling.

tink · Oct 17, 2019

Saw yesterday that Angling Direct have bought out Erics Angling.

This adds to their acquisition of Climax, Chapmans, Fosters, Ted Carter, etc, thus scaling down the competition in the process.

How many more are they going to buy??

Don't get me wrong, I do buy from Angling Direct but I find this buying out the competition very unhealthy.

What are your thoughts on it?

Peter Jacobs · Oct 17, 2019

Angling Direct appear to be demonstrating all the 'qualities' associated with a . . . monopoly . . . . and while this can be good for prices, (buying in bulk to lower prices) it does create the posibility to corner a market.

Personally I prefer to use my local tackle shop for everything I need and if it is not in stock then I am happy to wait until it is ordered.

Only by using your local independent shop can you hope to not lose them to a conglomerate like AD.

103841 · Oct 17, 2019

Peter Jacobs said:
Angling Direct appear to be demonstrating all the 'qualities' associated with a . . . monopoly . . . . and while this can be good for prices, (buying in bulk to lower prices) it does create the posibility to corner a market.
.

Yes, corner the market, no need to pass on their bulk buying costs to the customer, that’s what I normally find with a monopoly.

Nothing wrong with shopping online if used diligently, I used Eric’s a few times with excellent service.

David Gane · Oct 17, 2019

They're not the worst people in the world, but it's quite clear that if you want a wide choice of products from a wide range of manufacturers they're not the best. Their continuing growth seems sure to mean that we all end up with less variety.

I'm very lucky to have a large independent shop within a couple of miles of where I live and I'll continue to make them my first stop for everything.

Phil Heaton · Oct 17, 2019

Fishing Republic tried this but seem to have failed with many of their shops closing 'due to relocating' but without any relocation details.
I passed the closed Barnsley Fishing Republic shop this weekend and noticed a massive sign on their wall advertising the due to open new Angling Direct at Rotherham.... cheeky or what, unless they have bought these out as well.
I must admit though that I have bought some items from AD both from a shop and online and been 100% satisfied with the pricing and stock. Most of my local tackle shops are now closed due to Fishing Republic setting up a few years ago, I feel that even more will suffer now due to AD but must admit that they don't stock much choice and only seem to deal with a few suppliers. Ultimately we are all to blame being tempted with cheap prices and fast deliveries, but I cant help feeling that this is the way the entire shopping experience in this country is going from clothes to food.
Near to me are Billy Clarkes at Sheffield and Wickersley Angling at Rotherham, I'm hoping these don't fall foul of the trend as they are both excellent shops providing great service and advice as well as having a high stock level.

peter crabtree · Oct 17, 2019

If their acquisition of a shop stops it closing for good then it’s not a bad thing.
I have noticed however, a vast amount of items on their online shop are out of stock.

mikench · Oct 17, 2019

I still frequent my local AD as the staff are largely the same as before, helpful and friendly. I have no complaints about service and who can refuse a bargain. Their stock is limited and carp oriented but if I buy on line and am unhappy I can take it back to them.

MikeyF · Oct 17, 2019

If their acquisition of a shop stops it closing for good then it’s not a bad thing.
I have noticed however, a vast amount of items on their online shop are out of stock.

That might be more of a function of the time of year.

I know a lot of the manufacturers are holding their trade shows at the moment - Preston, Daiwa etc and that the new "2020 catalogue" stock is expected end of this month, early November with 2019 items running out in the retailers. That combined with a reduction of inventory during the quieter part of the coarse season.....

Ray Roberts · Oct 17, 2019

I used an Angling Direct shop in Crayford for the first time recently. I only wanted a few rod tubes which weren’t in stock. As no other company had them either it wasn’t surprising. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The service was good and friendly, I left a minimal deposit and they rang me when they were in. No complaints.

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nottskev · Oct 17, 2019

The one that opened near me has a poor selection of rods - float rods conspicuously missing - mainly mid-range commercial-style stuff. Carp luggage, chairs, beds etc abound, as do bags of boillies and buckets to put them in. Items are segregated into brand displays and are often dwarfed by the plastic and coloured card of their packaging. Ready-made rigs, traces, hooklengths etc etc promote devolution into helplessness. The fishing equivalent of M&S peeled and chopped vegetables. The supplanting of independent tackle shops by this kind of thing represents, as do many other trends, the triumph of impersonal consumer values over the little corners of culture and community that local shops used to provide.

On practical note, I asked for baitdroppers. All over there, mate, on the back wall. I came back and said the only thing I can find is this daft little item - encased in plastic packaging - that will hardly hold a chopped lobworm. That's all we've got mate. But you have lots of proper ones on your website? Ah, that's online mate. A tackle supermarket beside the Trent and all they have is a baitdropper the size of a thimble.

103841 · Oct 17, 2019

So sad, photography shops and many more have all gone along with expertise.

mikench · Oct 17, 2019

I agree with all the sentiments expressed . It reminds me of asking for a Boston Butt joint(pork) at the meat counter at Sainsbury’s . “ you need a proper butcher for that “ was the bemused reply. Says it all really.

At least the staff at my local AD are all anglers, know their stuff, were from the previous owners and remain interested and helpful .

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john step · Oct 17, 2019

I hope AD dont ever go bust. If they do there wont be a tckle shop in the country at the rate they are going.

103841 · Oct 17, 2019

john step said:
I hope AD dont ever go bust. If they do there wont be a tckle shop in the country at the rate they are going.

Ah, that could become a cyclical trend surely? no tackle shops left, time to open one and clean up! Maybe not the best comparison, here in Whitstable, only a small town, we have not one but two shops that specialise in vinyl records, remember them? They’re doing quite well apparantly.

john step · Oct 17, 2019

s63 said:
Ah, that could become a cyclical trend surely? no tackle shops left, time to open one and clean up! Maybe not the best comparison, here in Whitstable, only a small town, we have not one but two shops that specialise in vinyl records, remember them? They’re doing quite well apparantly.

Sad to say my vinyl LPs are in the loft. I doubt they will be any good now.

S-Kippy · Oct 17, 2019

Erics at Farlows was an absolute Alladins cave for carp anglers but ever since the AD deal was mooted the place has been run down something rotten. An onsite shop on one of the most well known carp waters in the country which has no bait....and I mean NO bait at all and hasn't had any for weeks.

I was over there a couple of days ago just to see what was going on. Not very much....the place is almost empty of stock. I picked up an accesory bag thing that I wanted to go with one I already had. At the till it came up £1 more than it was marked. I queried this and was told " thats the AD price...what's on the box is the old price"

I'm not having that....I left it there. Trouble is I'm now down to AD in Slough...this place or Harefield Tackle. If HT goes then the next nearest non AD is about an hours drive away.

AD is not a tackle shop imo. Its a tackle warehouse which might just as well be Currys/ PC world. I hate the place.

sam vimes · Oct 17, 2019

The whole "use it or lose it" theory of tackle shop economics is starting to look a little hollow in the face of Angling Direct (and Fishing Republic to a lesser extent). The reality is that they aren't buying out your distressed local tackle shops. They are making big money offers for relatively big hitters like Climax, Chapmans, Fosters, Ted Carter and Eric's. None of these are/were run of the mill local tackle shops. As far as I'm aware, none of them were companies in trouble, the owners simply chose to accept good offers. However, the Eric's situation seems a little different to others in that their operation seems to have been bought out just to shut it down and eliminate some competition. If my sources are accurate, the Leeds shop and the mail order warehouse have been/well be shut down.

I still don't have an Angling Direct within fifty miles. The closest Fishing Republic was about twenty five miles away. It didn't last very long. The next nearest is about forty miles away. If it wasn't for the fact that I have relatives local to it, I'd have never returned to it after the first look. There are at least four or five far better independent tackle shops within twenty five miles. I'm a regular at the two closest. As far as I'm aware, none of them have had a bid from AD, yet. I very occasionally make the trip to Leeds to visit another big independent, Bobco.

d.owens · Oct 18, 2019

There is a direct comparison to be made with cycle shops. If not bought online, bikes now come from Halfords or Evans, built by (on the whole) inadequately skilled or trained staff.
It does feel sad to witness the decline of local shops, often owned by grumpy old geezers, but who held a lifetime of knowledge.
I've noticed an increase in the number of cycling shops, tucked away, selling second hand bikes and offering repairs. I wonder if this may soon be reflected in angling? Quality older stock, tackle and decent fresh bait offered in place of identikit retail barns for carp anglers?

tink · Oct 18, 2019

sam vimes said:
The reality is that they aren't buying out your distressed local tackle shops. They are making big money offers for relatively big hitters like Climax, Chapmans, Fosters, Ted Carter and Eric's. None of these are/were run of the mill local tackle shops. As far as I'm aware, none of them were companies in trouble, the owners simply chose to accept good offers.

This is my point exactly Sam. They haven't bought out small struggling companies, they've bought out most of the biggest tackle dealers in the U.K!

Watch their prices gradually rise as the competition falls by the wayside.

103841 · Oct 18, 2019

How long before BobCo succumb?

Angling Direct buy out Erics Angling.

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