Raven Fishing owner leaves for ‘new challenge’

Dion Raven, the owner of Raven Fishing and one of the best known figures in the European tackle industry, left the company on May 1st.

The retail chain was started by Sjoerd Raven as a pet store in the garage of his home in Dronten, central Netherlands, in 1974. His sons, Dion and Iwan, joined the business, with Dion becoming owner.

Dion established Raven as one of the biggest tackle retailers in the Netherlands, with four stores and a distribution centre. He also added stores in the Czech Republic and Poland. The company opened a webshop in France in 2020 and began selling online in the UK last month.

“Our goal is to be the biggest in Europe and maybe beyond that,” he told Angling International at the time.

“After much deliberation, I have made the decision to transfer my position as director to Iwan,” said Dion. “I have worked with a lot of effort and pleasure all these years – basically all my life – and built Raven Fishing to where it is today. Now it is time for a new challenge. The Raven team will continue on the path we have taken, which I am confident will lead to great results.

“My next challenge lies in starting up BIT where I will be involved in the import and export sales of, among other things, electric cars, scooters, Kimple boats and scaffolding materials. I would like to thank everyone for the beautiful time and their pleasant cooperation. Who knows, maybe our paths will cross again.”