GUN TRADE ASSOCIATION


Huge relief and a lifeline was given in the form of the retention scheme and I have to say, without this support from the Government, it could have been a very different story indeed.


A small team of us returned to Air Arms HQ in May 2020 and by July 2020 the whole team were back except for a number of skilled staff who had to follow the then self- isolation rules.


Little did we know how lockdown would make us all re-look and take stock of our lives. As a result of lockdown, we quickly identified that our on-line/social media presence was growing rapidly.


Despite the horror, heartache, and


devastation that Covid has caused the world, it has without doubt given our industry a renewed lease of life and Air Arms for one will not take that for granted!


We soon recognised that our demographic was changing, younger people and more women were now joining the Air Arms family. Sales were rising rapidly and globally;


70 | Tackle & Guns | April 2022


orders were once again coming in thick and fast. All was finally well again. Or was it?


As manufacturers of our own products, overnight growth does not come without its challenges. This was further compounded by shortages in materials, longer delivery lead times, massive price hikes and the shortfall of our skilled engineers. We had to take stock, figure out what was important and prioritise. We worked very closely with all our distributors, building product to meet their priorities rather than just fulfilling orders and whilst this did create extra work and extra costs, it was important that we kept product flowing and customers happy. Many of the team at Air Arms now had to multi-task to cover staff losses due to self-isolation and the development and production of new projects were put on hold so that we could concentrate our efforts on getting product out the door. Last year was absolutely CRAZY! It was by no means easy, but we did it and I am super proud of my team, they stepped up and they went above and beyond. Couple this with the overwhelming and amazing support from our distributors and the trade, we saw our sales increase by over 60 per cent in 2021. The saying ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’ is so true. I also believe that clear communication, being open, honest, and working together can lead to the creation of something amazing! Thank you to everybody who helped make the impossible, possible.


It sounds as though the Air Arms


team are the A Team. Where are you all going this year? Claire West: Our plan for 2022 is to re-focus our efforts on the many new projects that we are working on. New products and innovation is vital if we are to expand and grow our market share. Our vision is to bring inspiration and access to precision airguns, to every person, in every discipline across the globe and we can only do this successfully through the support of our distribution/trade network. Air Arms will continue to pro- actively support our industry and our community from grassroots to elite shooters and do all that we can to promote the positive aspects of airguns. With the many, many thousands of new customers either renewing their passion or simply getting involved for the first time it is down to us, the Airgun Industry to serve, protect, nurture, and guide them into becoming lifelong supporters of air gunning. Despite the horror, heartache, and devastation that Covid has caused the world, it has without doubt given our industry a renewed lease of life and Air Arms for one will not take that for granted!


AIR ARMS T 01323 845853 E claire.west@air-arms.co.uk W www.air-arms.co.uk


GTA LTD T 07739 117225 E lin@gtaltd.co.uk W www.gtaltd.co.uk


www.tandgmagazine.com


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