An aquarium shop in Gorseinon that has been open for less than a year has been voted the best in Wales by the people who keep fish.
The Aquatic Retailer, a family-run business on Victoria Road, opened in January. It has now won the Wales title in this year’s Readers’ Poll run by Practical Fishkeeping magazine.
The poll asks hobbyists to vote for the aquatics shops they rate, with a title for each part of the UK.
Second place stayed in Swansea too. Maidenhead Aquatics, inside Dobbies Garden Centre at Swansea Enterprise Park, was named runner-up for Wales.
‘More like good friends visiting our little shop’
In a message to customers, owner Joe said the team was “absolutely blown away” to have won within nine months of opening.
He put it down to the people who come through the door. “This is completely down to each and every one of you, our customers, who feel more like good friends visiting our little shop,” he said.
He thanked colleagues Sandra and Rory, crediting Rory’s “marine know-how” and his “early 3 AM starts” for stock runs to London. Friends and family had been “dusting off their fish nets” whenever an extra pair of hands was needed, he added.
There is more to come, he told customers: “We’re only just getting started!”
Two Swansea shops in the national Top 40
Both shops were also named in the magazine’s Top 40 aquatic stores in the UK. The list is alphabetical and does not rank shops from first to 40th.
Two Cardiff shops made the Top 40 as well, Aquatic World Cardiff and Maidenhead Aquatics St Mellons, the magazine’s published results show.
The magazine says more people voted this year than last, though it has not said how many.
‘Much more than sell fish and equipment’
Practical Fishkeeping editor Alex Bell said: “Aquatic shops do much more than sell fish and equipment. For many fishkeepers, they’re where you go for advice, practical help and inspiration for your next projects.”
The editor said the winning shops had “clearly made a lasting impression on the people who shop there”.
Bell added: “That relationship between a good shop and its customers is a big part of what keeps the hobby going.”
Who won the national titles
Across the UK, the Maidenhead Aquatics chain was voted Retailer of the Year, with Wirral Aquatics the runner-up.
Wirral Aquatics also took the independent, online and aquascaping titles, along with a new nano freshwater category introduced this year.
The poll has national categories for specialisms from cichlids and catfish to marine fish and ponds, alongside the regional awards.
The full results, published last month, are on the Practical Fishkeeping website.
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