Angling Direct’s strategic shift to focus on growth in online channels and its loyalty programme is paying off with revenue climbing 17% to £53.6m in the six months to July 2025.
The specialist fishing tackle retailer saw strength across both its retail and online channels during the period.
UK retail stores drove significant growth, with sales rising 15.4% to £30.5m. Online performance proved even stronger, surging 21.2% to £20.6m as the company benefited from higher transaction volumes and increased customer numbers.
The omni-channel approach appears to be paying dividends. Total UK like-for-like sales grew 14.2%, whilst the company’s MyAD customer loyalty programme swelled to over 496,000 subscribers by July – up from 409,000 at the start of the year. The milestone of 500,000 members was reached in August.
Store expansion continued apace during the period. A new Chester outlet opened in May, followed by a Bradford store after the period end, bringing the total estate to 55 locations across England and Wales. Management cited “increasing levels of footfall” as underpinning strong store performance.
European operations remain modest but showed promise. The Utrecht store, which marked its first anniversary in May, saw customer visits almost triple in June and July compared to the same period last year. Overall European sales edged up 5.1% to £2.5m, though the digital market remains challenging.
Perhaps it was this weakness in Europe that curtailed investor enthusiasm on Wednesday with shares down slightly in early trade.
“I am pleased to report that we have delivered another period of sustained progress against our medium-term objectives. Our increasing customer appeal underpinned by our loyalty fishing club, MyAD, and the associated growth of revenues in our existing UK stores and digital platforms, provides us with further confidence in achieving our medium-term UK revenue target of £100m,” said Steve Crowe, CEO of Angling Direct.