Run by father and son Martin and Chris Grantham, the company, which attracts customers across Scotland, has tripled in size, occupying 7000 sq ft at the Agricultural Centre.
Stirling Council’s Provost Fergus Wood will declare the new premises open for business on Saturday 3 December 2011. All six members of staff have transferred with the business and a recruitment drive is planned for the new season.
Formerly known as Angling Centre Stirling, the business recently changed its name to Angling Active, in line with its thriving online superstore, which supplies more than 8000 specially selected items for fishing enthusiasts and professionals.
Located in the unit nearest the river, the new store provides ample space to display the company’s expanding line of angling tackle, reels, bait and clothing; with more than 600 rods stored vertically allowing for better storage, presentation and handling.
And the larger floor space displays a wide range of country lifestyle clothing and footwear that will appeal to the hunting, shooting, fishing clientele that visit the Centre.
Chris Grantham, a licensed casting instructor, will also be making good use of the nearby river, allowing customers to ‘try before they buy’ and teaching casting technique – without hooks. The Centre is ideally located as it sits on the junction of the Rivers Forth and Teith, enabling customers to practise casting to both the left and right.
Neil McLean, Group Joint MD of UA, who are landlords of the Centre, said:
“It was always part of the vision to have an outdoor retailer specialising in hunting, shooting, fishing at the Centre and we’re delighted to welcome this award-winning business.”
Martin Grantham of Angling Active, who is also a qualified level 2 coach, said:
“The Centre offers us a unique location in a high profile building. The combination of increased space to view stock and, more importantly, proximity to the river and the major road network carrying traffic on route to the foremost fishing locations in Scotland is absolutely ideal.
We’ve built solid growth over 12 years and, in a flat market, we’re still showing upward trends. We see the potential and with the support of our customers, we’re going for it.”
He added:
“We remain committed to youth development and our long term goal is to continue developing casting tuition for young people to help secure the long-term future of the industry.”
