AN ICONIC outdoor clothing specialist in Keswick has just completed a £100,000 shop refit. 

George Fisher, one of the UK’s leading outdoor equipment and clothing specialists, hopes the refurbishment will bring a new audience to the Borrowdale Road shop in the shape of a new water sports department. 

The area will include equipment sales for wild swimming and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), both sports which have continued to increase in participation and popularity over the last two years. 

The spending will also see the arrival of a new sustainable brand, Passenger, exclusive to George Fisher, as well as The Darkroom Cafe & Gallery opening in the attic, which is a new partnership with a local Keswick business, Fellpack.

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George Fisher became famous for equipping early expeditions to Mount Everest as well as the store becoming a mainstay name in outdoors and mountaineering after George Dixon, part of the original Keswick MRT, established the small lakeland store in 1957. 

News and Star: NEW: Refit will cope with recent uptake in wild swimming. NEW: Refit will cope with recent uptake in wild swimming.

After years of callouts, George felt there was a need that everybody who ventured out onto the fells should be properly equipped, especially in terms of having the right footwear, helping to curb the cost when dealing with children who are always growing - as a result he set up the George Fisher Hire Service and to this day it remains one of the busiest departments in the store.

Scottish retailer Tiso took over George Fisher in 2007 with a £3.2million deal. 

The retailer has continually built upon their success and reputation to the point of becoming a regular winner of the OIA 'Outdoor Retailer of the Year' award.

Chris Tiso, CEO of George Fisher, said: "The refurbishment of the store could not have come at a better time as we head into a busy year.

"Our new watersports section of the store will service this growing market that has enjoyed a massive boom in sales from 2021 to date.

"This section of our business is becoming increasingly more important within our retail space and it is vital that we support the energy and desire for water sports equipment at this exciting time for the industry," he said. 

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