A Year in Review

Jesus Christ, is it 2026 yet?

No? right. Okay.

Before we dive into the year in review lets first get the opening hours out the way 

22nd and 23rd: We're open till 5pm 
Then were closed over Xmas and boxing day then we're back open 
29th and 30th for normal hours. We then resume normal service on the 5th of Jan!

I mean, look — it’s basically round the corner, so why don’t we take a little look at some of the highlights of the year and see if we can’t find enough positivity in our hearts to look at 2025 as a net positive.

At the start of the year, we decided to invest in our facility and undertake a total warehouse remodel. This added a whole seven entire metres of verticality to our warehouse, which not only allowed us to expand our stock offering, but also to climb to the top of the racking and have our lunch out of ammo boxes — thus reenacting that photo of those fellas building the Empire State Building.

As we got into spring, we started taking a few more oddball items, which actually worked for us. The highlight was most certainly our German police jackets, which damn near sold out in just 24 hours — mostly helped by our video hitting a quarter of a million views nearly overnight. This was also when we really started to pump up our social media activity and expand our engagement with the public, trying to guide the company more into what you, as the customer, would want, instead of what we’ve just relied on for many years.

As summer rolled around, we found ourselves traipsing through the far-flung corners of Leicester as we attended the Bushcraft Show. We got to meet a whole bunch of great people and learn what it takes to become show traders. Evidently, what it actually takes is either a larger van or less stock, as we blew a tyre on the return journey, leaving us stranded somewhere in the middle of nowhere — and leaving me, consequently, having not showered in three days and sleeping in the middle of a Burger King like some kind of vagrant.

Summer (though it feels like a million years ago now) was also a great litmus test of the real-world effect of our marketing. I myself am a reenactor and attend many military history events throughout the year, and I tell you, I was getting recognised so frequently that I was struck dumb. It’s so nice to know that the knob gags you make in a semi-professional capacity are actually well received countrywide. So yeah — thanks for receiving my knob, I guess 👍

As we wound down into autumn and things became colder, we began to expand our winter range with nice puffy jackets, warm wools, and also took a real look into a project that I’m so excited about but can’t yet tell you — though if you’ve watched the videos, I’ve teased it several times over the past few months. Speaking of videos, filming in autumn is one of life’s great delights: long, drawn-out golden hours producing some of the most wonderful light, alongside a natural colour palette that would make even Rembrandt weep. Brown buildings highlighted by orange sun, framed by blue sky and cast behind red leaves. It’s a shame it only lasts for such a short time. Wistful perhaps isn’t a strong enough word.

Oh yeah — we also made a video that made fun of various TRF's that got over a million views and shot our follower count right through the roof.

By the time winter had rolled around, we lost light, we lost warmth — but we gained a new top seller. Our ammo boxes became an unexpected hit, and we’ve been shipping literally hundreds per day. Even as I write this, I’m watching an entire pallet of them being demolished before my very eyes.

And now, as we roll into the last gasp of the year, I can honestly say it’s been one of the best years of my professional life. It’s been such a privilege to be able to make content for you guys every week and to work with veterans, currently serving personnel, and enthusiasts alike. From graduating with a history degree in 2023 to now has been a bonkers ride, but it is very true what they say: “Study what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life — because that field isn’t hiring.”

In short, thank you for your consistent support, which means the world to all of us here at GoArmy — It’s certainly kept me in a job, if nothing else. So I’ll see you in the new year, bleary-eyed and no doubt very, very hungover.

Stay safe, stay warm, and stay curious.

Have a great Christmas,
Matthew