THE BANK of England’s predicted dates for the economic recovery have been delayed more times than the trains of First Capital Connect. First it was due in 2011, then 2013, now they’re saying 2014. Probably. It’s not just the Bank of England (and
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Our surreptitious reporter heads to the Midlands to ask if the bike shops of Leicester have any junior bikes on offer ahead of Christmas
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This month GfK writes for BikeBiz on the wider lessons to be learnt from 2012’s closures
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train operators) putting things on hold either, with consumers delaying big spends in favour of saving or keeping
their heads above water while wages stagnate and confidence continues to wither. It’s a bleak affair, no doubt about it. So how are things on the front lines of bike retail? From
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Our annual Retail Survey, held once again in association with Cycling Sports Group UK, uncovers what IBDs really thought about 2012...
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the responses to our Retail Survey 2012, in association with CSG UK, surprisingly buoyant. Though with plenty of causes for concern, the highest number of responses were from retailers saying their yearly profits had barely changed, compared with the previous year (Retail Survey: page ten). Meanwhile a conversation Mystery Shopper had with one
retailer (page 22) saw one shop explain they weren’t going to be stocking junior bikes in future, due to competition from supermarkets and the subsequent skewing of price expectations of your average consumer – or to put it another way, when a customer can get a bike for his
Instead of offering something for everyone, more bike dealers are tailoring their product range and services to specific sectors.
daughter for £79, they’re not going to easily understand why one might cost £250 from an IBD. So this retailer has chosen to remove itself from that market and concentrate its efforts elsewhere. That is probably the resounding message for a lot of
retailers and even distributors – instead of offering something for everyone, they’re tailoring their offering with an increasingly specialised service and product range to a specific set of customers. It sounds like a wise way to survive and thrive in a market where customers are cutting back, but it’s a difficult balance to get right. Who wants to turn away customers? We’ve also asked retailers and distributors alike on their
views for 2012 in Industry Opinions (page 18). And for a wider perspective we’ve been in touch with the triathlon association for their take on the past 12 months. And as if that wasn’t enough, we’ve taken a look back at the headlines of 2012 in our Review of the Year (page 16) Whatever your take on 2012 (tell us about it at bikebiz @intentmedia.co.uk) it’s not been a dull year, and the signs are we’ll have more of the same in 2013. Better buckle up.