Harbour Sports - the end of an era....

This was the official press release this week that told the world Harbour Sports had fallen over. It’s all very sad and a reflection, perhaps, of the new order of things. There is more to say, but now is not the time.

frank

“Press Information

20.00hrs 11th Sept 2012

For immediate release

The directors of Harbour Sports Ltd announce that the company ceased trading on Monday 10th September 2012 . A statement was issued as follows.

We very much regret that a combination of adverse factors has led to this outcome. We would like to thank our customers over the 35 years it has taken to build up this local family business, and particularly our staff for all their support and hard work. Our shops in Exeter and the Barbican, Plymouth have closed permanently. Our base at Paignton Harbour will re-open with some changes in the future and details of this will be released later.

Harbour Sports was founded in the 1970s by Julian Smith and Frank Sobey, together with their wives Sue and Lyndy. As well as retailing watersports clothing and equipment it ran a popular windsurfing school for 20 years and was well known in the 1980s for speedboat trips and aquasausage rides in Torbay . These were featured in a number of national TV programmes.

Expansion saw surfing, bodyboarding and skateboarding included after the opening of the Barbican branch. Yacht charter based in Dartmouth and the arrival of the Exeter shop followed in the 1990s. Lifestyle clothing and accessories were then included in the product range, with many major brands in stock.”