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TOP 20 IBDS | FEATURE


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BIKE SCENE, Guisborough


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This North-East set mountain bike specialist is set on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. Ten staffers, including qualified mechanics, operate the store on a ‘one-stop- shop’ basis for its customers. Not only is it close to the Yorkshire Moors, it is also in a prime location for a network of tracks, trails and disused railway lines ideal for all ages and abilities of riders. Another shop strongly recommended by our distributor pundits, Bike Scene may have location on its side, but it follows up with a top notch service and sales performance.


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BILLY BISLANDS, Glasgow


You could listen to us waffle on about Billy Bislands, explaining why the Glasgow store – set up by Scottish cyclist Billy Bisland – deserves a spot on this list. We could bang on about the fact they offer a courtesy bike while customer’s rides are in the workshop for more than a day. But how better to show off their levels of service than with a testimonial or two from their customers: “Neil and the staff at BB really look after you and their after-care service is second to none.” Another said: “There can’t be many bike


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shops who can boast 53 five-star reviews on Google and this is testament to the hard work and diligence of the whole team.” Another customer said: “I have visited other retailers who have been slightly patronising when I was new to the sport and I didn’t know a great deal – this is something that will never happen in Billy Bilsland Cycles as they are all passionate cyclists themselves and appreciate that everyone has to start somewhere and as such are on hand to pass on their expert


knowledge. I really cannot rate this place highly enough.”


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BIKETREKS, Ambleside


Cumbria’s Biketreks operates regular weekly rides from the shop and recently moved to nearby Rydal Road to a more prominent spot and virtually doubling stock capacity. We’ve been told in the past that the shop is “absolutely great” and is “set amongst some of the best scenery in the world”. More recently, one customer has this to say on the quality of the shop – and its beverages: “I would like to nominate Biketreks in Ambleside, consistently excellent service, great coffee, always keen to help and offer sound down to earth advice.”


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AIRE VALLEY CYCLES, Keighley


West Yorkshire’s Aire Valley Cycles is two and a half decades old and now in its third premises, offering 7,500 square foot of retail space and servicing the road, MTB, BMX, trail and cyclecross markets. Highly recommended by the distributor panel for its service to customers and sales performance, Aire Valley Cycles has a dedicated floor soley for accessories, plus the obligitory essential workshop.


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RUTLAND CYCLING Rutland


A regular winner of BikeBiz Awards, Rutland certainly has a fair few fans ready to support the notion that the store is one of the better IBDs. It has picked up numerous local business awards, with a praised dedicated customer services team and even a Facebook store. The three-shop business has a new website, while the Whitwell store is Rutland’s largest – at 13,000 square feet with over 300 bikes permanently on display.


14 STATE OF THE HIGH STREET 20 26 BIKEBIZ APRIL


THE NATURAL habitat of the IBD, the High Street, is still in dire straits. Statistics at the end of March (from the Local Data Company) indicate the monthly shop vacancy rate is at an all time high. In February 2012 the vacancy rate hit 14.6 per cent, the highest figure since the LDC began its index in 2008. Town centre vacancy rates in the UK stabilised at 14.3 per cent during the second half of last year, but rose to 14.5 per cent in January, then 14.6 per cent last month.


The steepest rises were seen in 2008/2009.


Back in December 2008 the shop vacancy rate was around 5.5 per cent. By August 2009 the rate had hit almost 11 per cent. “The latest increase is not unexpected as


post Christmas occupancy levels drop and retailer failures continue,” commented LDC director Matthew Hopkinson. “It is a timely reminder to the Government, who are due to respond to the Portas Review, of the significant challenges facing town and city centres up and down the country.” www.localdatacompany.com


BIKEBIZ.COM





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