The early days
The first years were difficult as we worked hard to earn the respect and trust of manufacturers, to allow us to sell their products, and paddlers, to buy them with the confidence that we were giving them the best advice.
In 2001, we endured the Foot and Mouth epidemic that effectively stopped all paddling for many months and, of course, the knock on effect of virtually no sales. We even asked ourselves if starting a business on April Fools Day had been a good idea. The fact that we are still here all these many years later is proof that it had been a good idea and we are still trying our best to live up to our promise of being the best provider of paddling kit.
Offering more choice
In the early days, the manufacturers sold directly from their factories (or garages in some cases) and paddlers accepted what they were given. We joined the canoe business at a time when it was emerging from being a cottage industry and becoming more professional. It was very exciting as paddlers got used to having more choice and clothing got more technical and of better quality.
Our ethos was that we would give this choice to the paddling community and back it up with impartial advice to ensure that everyone got the right kit for what they wanted to do at a fair price.
Embracing change
As time passed and the internet became more powerful, we embraced the change and evolved to put together an e-commerce website offering products to a much wider audience. The problem was to do this and still provide great service.
How do we give the best advice without being face to face with the customer? Well, we try to do this by making our product pages informative and encouraging customers to contact us by email or telephone if they have any questions.
We also use social media to give paddlers as many ways as possible to communicate with us.
Meet the team
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Richard Bennett
The Boss
First got in a kayak at the age of 11, stopped paddling for many years, and started again in the hope that his little daughter would want to join him on the water and now the almighty leader of Canoe and Kayak Store.
His passion, experience and drive has helped lead Canoe and Kayak Store to become what it is today.
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Nigel Stephenson
Gloucestershire Store Manager
30 years of paddling experience, a qualified coach and a Crocs enthusiast - Nigel is an open canoeing veteran.
He is very passionate about OC1 paddling and will happily take you out for a demo on request!
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Ben Rust
Warehouse Manager
Ben started working for our company in 2021. Ben loves all outdoor activities, if he’s not out on the water paddling with his family, you will quite often find him in the forest on his mountain bike.
