Paul Reeves leaves Rather Oudoors

Paul Reeves has stood down from his position as President Europe of Rather Outdoors, one of the world’s biggest tackle companies.

A senior figure at the company confirmed that the reasons for his departure are personal and that he wants to spend more time with his family and new son.

Early reports suggest that Gary Quinn, a former Group Operations Director at Fox, who was involved as a consultant in the relocation of the Rather Outdoors warehouse from Meer to Beerse in Belgium, will take on at least some of Reeves’s responsibilities.

Reeves came to the fore in the UK industry with Fox International, which was acquired by Rather Outdoors for $182 million in August 2019, joining Preston Innovations, Zebco Europe, Zebco Brands, Strike King and Lew’s in a formidable portfolio of brands.

His roles at Fox included Commercial Director and General Manager prior to the business being acquired by the South Carolina company, then known as Lew’s Holdings. Lew’s was acquired in 2019 by BDT Capital Partners and in October 2020 was renamed Rather Outdoors.

It was Reeves who in April notified dealers of the closure of Zebco Europe’s site in Tostedt, Germany, with customer deliveries being handled from Rather Outdoors’ European distribution centre in Belgium from February 28th, 2024.