COMMENT


Going out on a high JohnHunter


them editing Tackle&Guns, it is time for me to move on to a new challenge. However, I will be on hand


A


to guide the next edition and, after that, I won’t be leaving the industry entirely. Indeed, I will probably be


getting even more involved than I am at present and, in truth, I would not wish to leave it. I have thoroughly enjoyed the


challenges of running Tackle& Guns and being involved over the years with the T&GTrade Show and I will still be seeing friends and colleagues at various trade and consumer events in the months to come. I will certainly be at the


British Shooting Show and IWA with my new media consulting company HunterMedia and its clients and atTe Game Fair in the summer – and the intention is to build up a portfolio that allows me to travel to other events throughout the year, as necessary. But this decision has allowed


me to reflect on two decades in the fishing and shooting trades and marvel at how resilient the industries have been. Tere have been many


challenges to both but we are still here and, in many cases, still being successful. We have seen the rise firstly


of mail order and then internet sales of fishing tackle and eBay and the tackle trade has worked hard to embrace these concepts


s you will read elsewhere in this magazine, after 21 years at DHP, 17 of


and turn concerns into positives. Having an online presence is


now vital to pretty much every tackle retailer and supplier. Of course, I have seen changes


in the traditional manufacturer- wholesaler-retailer route of old, with suppliers selling direct and retailers buying own-brand goods in from China.While it has been tough, those that have worked hard at it are still making a decent living. Meanwhile, a raft of legislation – which began, when I started, with the handgun ban in 1996 and continued with the Violent Crime Reduction Act a decade later right up to the recent Scottish airgun licensing farce – has challenged the shooting industry at every turn. But we have fought back,


dealt with each blow and returned stronger, encouraging more shotgun and rifle shooters, welcoming airgunners back into shops to increase footfall and looked at alternative ways to sell products through other channels. While a deep recession and


then Brexit have thrown us a few more curve balls than we would like,we continue to survive and, in many cases, thrive. So, as I prepare to step aside


from running this auspicious magazine, I am heartened by what the future holds for those who continue to put in the effort. I will still be involved in the


gun trade and will still meet many of you regularly and I look forward to doing so with smiles all round and stories of success.


GunTradeAssociation (GTA) Tel: 01684 291868 Fax: 01684 291864 enquiries@guntradeassociation.com www.guntradeassociation.co.uk


POINT OF CONTACT Useful numbers for your business


AnglingTradesAssociation (ATA) Tel: 0333 577 9970 www.anglingtradesassociation.com


BritishAssociationfor ShootingandConservation (BASC) Tel: 01244 573000 Fax: 01244 573001 enquiries@basc.org.uk www.basc.org.uk


AnglingTrust Tel: 0844 7700616 Fax: 0115 981 9039 admin@anglingtrust.net www.anglingtrust.net


CountrysideAlliance Tel: 0207 840 9200 Fax: 0207 793 8484 info@countryside-alliance.org www.countryside-alliance.org


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Salmon&TroutAssociation Tel: 0207 283 5838 Fax: 0207 626 5137 hq@salmon-trout.org www.salmon-trout.org


JohnHunter Editor Tel: 01327 315412Mob: 07990 542958 E: john@dhpub.co.uk


JohnHunter Editor Tel: 01327 315412Mob: 07990 542958 E: john@dhpub.co.uk


DeanRothery Events&TradeCommercialDirector Tel: 01327 315432Mob: 07866 721554 E:deanrothery@dhpub.co.uk


DeanRothery Events&TradeCommercialDirector Tel: 01327 315432Mob: 07866 721554 E:deanrothery@dhpub.co.uk


Crimestoppers Tel: 0800 555 111 www.crimestoppers-uk.org


www.tandgmagazine.com 05


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