Buy local; keep it UK – the importance of supporting domestic stand up paddle board brands.

Buy local; keep it UK – the importance of supporting domestic stand up paddle board brands.

Stand up paddle boarding, in its short time since inception, has come a long old way. In particular the domestic UK market has evolved rapidly and is now going through a maturing phase. McConks, and other stalwart UK SUP companies like Fatstick, Loco, Neptune, Hatha and a few others have built solid reputations whilst continuing to drive the sport forward and support homegrown paddlers across all disciplines of the sport.

With global health as it is currently there’s a risk to McConks and the other brands mentioned above. McConks is doing its level best to keep things going and from our point of view there’s no doubt we’ll come through this, as we’re determined and passionate. Our UK counterparts are no doubt in similar situations and will also push through. But it’s going to be tough.

One thing you can do is support the UK SUP industry by buying local – as in local to this small island in the North Atlantic. McConks is super passionate about stand up paddling and as much as we are a business we’re also trying to give back where possible. This is why we don’t mind mentioning our friends at the like of Neptune, Loco and Fatstick – we’re all in this together.

Many of you may know McConks SUP were about to launch an initiative to get kids more involved in stand up paddling. That’s now on hold sadly, but the initiative will be back when the time is right. The support we’ve had from instructors and businesses all around the country has been amazing, and when it comes back, it will be bigger and better than we had ever hoped for!

If you’re looking for new stand up paddle boarding equipment, be that either boards, paddles, accessories or apparel, then why not hit up the McConks SUP shop and see what we offer. Check out the other brands as well – together we’ll overcome this and bounce back even stronger!