Iconic London fly fishing tackle shop Farlows has been purchased for an undisclosed sum. The major shareholder of the company involved, BDBCO 870 Limited, is Vladimir Rybalchenko of the Kharlovka Atlantic salmon reserve, a wealthy Russian national with a passion for salmon fishing and conservation.
Total-Fishing.com understands that the deal includes repayment of all debt, plus new working capital for the business, which has faced challenging trading conditions for the last few years.
Farlow’s was established in 1840 by Charles Farlow and opened its first ‘rod and tackle’ shop on The Strand in London. The retailer has traded from Charles Street and The Royal Arcade, moving to 9 Pall Mall – formerly the Royal Bank of Scotland – in 2004.
The Prince of Wales granted Farlows a Royal Warrant as suppliers of fishing tackle and waterproof clothing in 1982, and well known customers include Jeremy Paxman, Max Hastings, Uma Thurman and Fiona Armstrong. Commenting on the acquisition,
Vladimir Rybalchenko said: “Farlows has a long history of providing the very best service to its game fishing clients and safeguarding the future for a new generation of fishing aficionados is now achievable.”
There’s an episode of Home For Salmon, which spotlights the Kharlovka Atlantic Salmon Reserve, in the current issue of Game Fisher’s Diary.com