Issue 74 | March 2012
EDITORIAL
NEWS 4-5 MYSTERY SHOPPER
SPONSORED BY FOCUS ON…
The latest from the British Electric Bicycle Association, product announcements from Shimano, and more...
IN THE LAST issue we led with a story – ‘Cycling props up the High Street’ – about how cycle retail, in particular the chains, are thriving on the High Street. A positive bit of news I’m sure you’ll agree, but it’s actually all the more amazing when you consider how embattled the High Street is right now. Our contacts in the outdoor sector have revealed an altogether tougher
Our undercover reporter quizzes retailers in the Chilterns’-own High Wycombe
CYCLE MEDIA SHOW REVIEWS 14
Coverage from the shows at Moore Large, Fisher, Madison and Raleigh, from page 14
OUTDOORS BikeBiz quizzes the organisers behind snow trade show Slide
E-BIKES 43 CYCLE COMPUTERS
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BikeBiz invites all the main cycle media publishers to have their say on the state of the market in print and the ever growing online scene...
CHAIN REACTION 7
Marketing by SMS has a high hit rate, writes this month’s guest columnist
trading environment, but in the wider retail world there was a point at the start of the year where you couldn’t open a newspaper for a story about a retail chain going under. Why am I returning to the topic? Well, one of the joys of the internet is how easy it is for readers to give you feedback. When the story went online it drew out a number of responses from readers keen to tackle the topic. One of which (
http://tinyurl.com/74x68jg) went along the
lines of “so the big cycle shops with online support are doing well at the expense of the smaller ones. What joy...” It’s a fair point. Why should an independent retailer be
overjoyed at the growth of competitor chain shops? It leads to the question ‘how well have IBDs fared in the last 12 months?’ That is, I fear, a question akin to how long
“The bike trade is, currently, one that other retail industries look upon with envious eyes.”
is a piece of string. I spoke with probably one of the best sources available who confessed that they had only limited information on the topic. So in the absence of more accurate stats the performance
of the chain stores is one of the few indicators we reasonably have to judge cycle’s retail performance, aside from company statistics and import data. But what are the prospects for IBDs in the face of chains
50 DEALER PROFILE PEOPLE NEW PRODUCTS 48
London’s There Cycling targets non-cyclists. We sit down with the dealer this month
41
The latest recruitment and people movement news is compiled over on page 41
54
Rubena tyres and i-ride’s new light line Gemini are among the products featured this month...
SPOKESMAN 78
Carlton Reid asks: “Does a high profile campaign about cycle safety put people off cycling?”
EVENTS 64 OFF THE RECORD 76 NUMBER CRUNCHING 74 LETTERS SPONSORED BY 57 60
One BikeBiz reader shares their thoughts on The Times’ #cyclesafe campaign
getting stronger? In other industries we have seen independents swallowed up by chains, with perhaps no greater example than the supermarkets. So the same is set to happen in the bike trade? The comparison is, of course, false. Selling bikes is nothing like selling onions and bananas. A bike is a special, planned- for purchase where service and guidance is all important. But with chains making a concerted effort on the service side, will that begin to eat into the profits of a nearby IBD? That is the $64,000 question. Do chain stores represent a
more attractive option for your average customer? Or are punters more interested in good advice and guidance on purchases, regardless of the name above the door? It’s a moot point maybe, but one thing is certain: The bike retail scene is currently a competitive, lively marketplace and whether we like to believe it or not, it’s one that other retail industries look upon with envious eyes.
Jonathon Harker, Editor
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