Merseyside company set to double annual turnover after appearing on BBC shows

The Longbow Shop on the Wirral, Merseyside is on course to becoming the largest traditional archery shop in Europe.

The firm have supplied arrows for acclaimed BBC series such as The White Queen along with Shakespeare productions at the Globe Theatre in London.

Additionally, their handcrafted arrows will appear in the new series of Dr Who for an episode called “The Robots of Sherwood”.

The company, which employs eight staff, is set to turnover £400k this year, more than double the previous year’s £180kfigure, with exports accounting for 60% of its revenue.

The Longbow Shop is run by founder Jason Powell and fellow directors Graham Higgs and Mike O’Sullivan, all of whom are Longbow archers and have their own Archery GB club, The Longbow Club.

The company operates from a 3,000sq ft. showroom in Birkenhead, Wirral, and regularly ships to customers in the UK and internationally including Canada and Uzbekistan.

Jason, 45, a graphic designer of 25 years, originally started The Longbow Shop selling arrows he had made on eBay after becoming hooked on the sport.

He said: “From the first time I shot an arrow with a traditional English longbow I was smitten.”

Jason said: “There are a number of reasons why traditional archery is increasing in popularity. We are definitely seeing more customers with a business background looking for a release from the pressures of corporate life, while celebrities such as Theo Paphitis, Shane Ritchie and James Whale are big devotees of the sport.

“Our customers range from teenagers to people in their 80s. For some it is their downtime, a chance to empty the mind, while for others it is the appeal of the hunter-gatherer, the heritage and the sheer romanticism of traditional archery.

“Hunting plays a big part in the overseas market and it’s quite amazing how many Americans like a traditional English longbow.”

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