Fortune favours the Bold!

In the same way as there is a link between the quality of a fishing spot and its remoteness; there is also a direct relation between the ease of access to a supplier and the competitiveness of his price.
Twenty years of sourcing fishing tackle have taken me to very remote places while searching for that [...]

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“I only make movies to finance my fishing”. (Lee Marvin)

For those who sweated it out at the EFFTEX show in Prague and wondered why I was wearing shorts and a summer fishing shirt on the first day of the show; well, it’s because I analysed the information available in the EFTTA Newsline last march and could remember EFTTEX in Geneva.

I can understand the decision [...]

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China; Rising to the challenge!

Olympic National Stadium, Beijing, Herzog and de Meuron, Arup Group, estimated completion 2008
I shall never forget my visit to the first CHINAFISH show in 1991.
The exhibition was held close to the entrance of the Forbidden City, right in the centre of Beijing.
I was driven to the show by an old man on a tricycle who [...]

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Manifest for the Future of Recreational Fishing in Europe!

The time has come for the European Fishing Tackle Trade to invest into its future if it is to have a future!

Our European markets are depressed, we are losing participation.

Pollution, Over-Fishing and Fish Farming are directly responsible.

Recreational Fishing is not recognised by our European authorities for either its social or economic contribution as a [...]

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The last Fisherman in Ireland

The man hadn’t caught a fish for three years now. The retired businessman had fished all his life. His father had transmitted the passion to him in his youth. He could still remember the delightful days spent fishing off the wonderful west coast of Ireland, in County Clare where he had been brought up.
As a [...]

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Going Pan-European: Choices, decisions.

There are few alternatives these days for a European National Fishing Tackle Company than to aim towards the development of new sales in neighbouring countries.
Numerous are the European brands that are presently selling outside of their original market as companies are doing everything they can to generate positive growth inside an oversupplied and rapidly shrinking [...]

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Wading into Europe: How deep is the water?

Launching a product or a range of new products throughout the European Market can resemble a steep hill climb for any manufacturer wishing to sell his production to the old continent.In this first article we shall cover the example of a fictitious medium size company, with little experience in the fishing tackle market.
Cobiaco, Ltd.; a [...]

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Is it “business as usual” in Europe?

Now that the 2006 financial year has come to a close, it’s possible to make some first estimations of the current situation within the European market. The World Cup has certainly affected business this last season but cannot be ruled responsible for the general state of the trade.
All over Western Europe, dealers are entering into [...]

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Small businesses cannot grow competitively within the EU

 The European Union is the N˚1 commercial power in the world. It represents 18% of the total volume of world imports and exports.
The USA account for 16% and Japan for 10%.
The globalization of commerce is putting great pressure on small European businesses due to mounting pressure from multinational companies that can afford to deal within [...]

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