Tackle Trade World - January 2023

DBW...
the UK
eCOnOMy FOCUS
$3.187 trillion GDP (USD)
$47,334.46 GDP per capita (USD)
7.4% GDP growth rate (average)
3.5% Unemployment rate
Top export partners:
– USA $59.5 billion
– Switzerland $39.5 billion
– Germany $38.8 billion
– netherlands $34.4 billion
– France $25.6 billion
The
UK is
greater
than the
sum of
its parts.
Top import partners:
– China $91.16 billion
– Germany $75.51 billion
– USA $59.69 billion
– netherlands $41.62 billion
– norway $35.97 billion
FACt FiLe
Capital: London
Dialling code: +44
Population: 68,714,493
Prime Minister: Rishi Sunak
Official languages: English
Time zones: GMT
Currency: Pound
Internet domain: .co.uk
on the list of Europe’s most
populated countries, only
surpassed by Turkey, Germany
and Russia.
the FiShinG tACKLe SeCtOr
According to government
figures around four million
people in Britain take part in
some form of fishing activity,
making it one of the nation’s
biggest participation sports,
although membership of
angling clubs has seen a slight
decline in recent years. Pre-
Covid rod licence sales fell
to about 1.19 million sales in
2016/17, but since lockdown
restrictions eased and angling
was one of the few activities
allowed, licence sales and
tackle sales have been on the
increase.
There are between 2,000
and 2,500 fishing tackle
retailers in the UK, typically
owner-managed businesses.
It is estimated that the total
annual market for fishing
tackle is worth about £600
million. Traditionally, British
fishing stores are local,
independent and smaller
family run businesses and
have an important place in
the community as a place to
go for advice and information.
The UK tackle shop industry
has been likened to a cottage
industry where many of the
retailers are anglers who turned
their hobby into a job rather
than savvy businessmen with
heads for retail. Over the
last decade or so, things have
started to change, in part down
to the growth of some of the
bigger retailers and the gradual
introduction of some chain
stores, and in part down to an
increase in professionalism
among retailers. Now the UK
has the likes of Angling Direct
and Fishing Republic and also
the increasing involvement
of general outdoor retailers
such as Go Outdoors and
Decathlon, with a huge range
of stock and mail order sales,
although the number of smaller
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