UK outdoors specialist puts fishing to fore in new superstore

A new outdoor superstore being created in the heart of the UK will feature a specialist area for fishing tackle.

Plans for the GO Outdoors outlet in Stoke-on-Trent include a mezzanine level that will be home to the company’s Fishing Republic business, which it acquired in 2019.

Fishing Republic is already part of 21 GO Outdoors stores and this latest move is part of a bigger scheme, revealed earlier this month by Angling International, to install it at another 30.

Work is already underway on the new store at Festival Park after GO Outdoors recently moved out of another nearby unit. It is currently trading from a temporary area in part of the new premises.

The mezzanine level was not previously used as part of the retail area, but will now accommodate the Fishing Republic product range, along with new dedicated areas for cycling and camping.

“It is proposed to extend the existing mezzanine floor to 2,424sqm,“ says the planning application. “This would represent an increase of 1,812sqm of new floorspace, which will be used to enable the provision of two new retail areas and a large show floor at first floor level.”

Fishing Republic was rescued from administration almost three years ago and now trades exclusively from Go Outdoors stores.