Angling retail chain Fishing Republic is due to open a new store on the Ransomes Europark in Ipswich on March 4.

Around five new jobs are being created with the launch of the US-style “fishing tackle supermarket”, which is part of the South Yorkshire-based company’s expansion into the East and South East and will carry thousands of different products.

Area manager Steve Calder said: “We live in a ‘gimme now’ society; customers demand the widest possible choice instantly, both online and instore.

“It’s quite common for our customers to drive an hour or more to visit our shops. And because we’re located on busy retail and business parks, they’ll often make a day of it, dropping the family off in the nearby shopping precinct, whilst they indulge in a little retail therapy of their own.

“Our new store reflects this diversity, providing a one-stop ‘destination’ shop for anglers from all branches of the sport – carp and coarse, match and sea.”

Fishing Republic is based in Rotherham and already has 15 stores, mainly in the north of England. The Ipswich branch is one of around a dozen planned as part of its push into the rest of the country.