Money might make the world go ‘round, but what does it do for bikes? We count the loot, pocket the wad and round-up some wonga-based statistics in this month’s Number Crunching…
Andrew Perry, NRG4
What bikes do you own and where do you ride them? I own a Felt F3 road bike and a B12 tri bike that I fight over with my oldest son. On the mountain side, I’m privileged to own a few good bikes: the first is an MSC Carbon Zion with 150mm of travel, the second is the MSC Carbon Blast that won ‘Best Bike’ at the 2012 Taipei show with 120mm of travel all round. I also have an MSC Carbon WCR hardtail that I have to use to keep up with my oldest son, especially on the hills. I love to ride over at Llandegla and in the Peak district as its
close by. I also enjoy an annual pilgrimage to Morzine for a long weekend riding and the odd trip to Cannock Chase.
NRG4 has been popping up at plenty of shows lately – how has the trade been responding to your brands/products? We want to deal with independent bike dealers and are willing to support them as best we can and the shows are a great way of getting this message to our customers. This message is very well received by IBDs whom often complain about the route other distributors take to market. Another reason for doing the shows is to generate a desire from the consumer for our products..
What are you excited about from your portfolio in 2013? It’s a tough one, we have so much going on, but the recent launch of our new B2B site was well anticipated by us and our customers.
The site has a front end for the consumer and rear end for
the trade customers and is really simple to use. We also have the Showerspass Rogue Hoodie that recently
won ‘best’ winter jacket in MBUK and the MSC Blast bike that won 2012 Best bike at the Taipei show to continue promoting.
How can a retailer take out an account with NRG4? We have two ways to do this; one of these is simply to log onto www.nrg4.co.uk and click ‘create an account’ for B2B access. This takes a few minutes and gives the customer total control online. The other more customary way, is to request an account application form through the post.
You import MSC bikes – why should retailers consider these bikes for their showrooms? The independent bike dealers like the ‘exclusivity’ the bikes offer. This works for our dealers as the bikes are not readily available ‘down the road’ at discounted prices. Add to this, that we don't ask for a ‘buy in’ commitment from the dealer, but deliver in two weeks and it’s a win/win situation for everyone in the chain.
82 BIKEBIZ MARCH BIKEBIZ.COM £145m Mayor of London Boris Johnson might
famously be ‘behind cycling’, but it is the London Assembly that has told him to stump up more cash for cycling next year. As two per cent of London journeys are made by bike, two per cent of the budget (£145m) should be dedicated to cycling, the Assembly voted.
£62million
Transport Minister Norman Baker announced £62million would be invested in cycling infrastructure, including cycle safety, road junctions, cycle routes in national parks and cycle parking at railway stations. It might sound like a big figure, but it’s not even enough for London alone, according to the London Assembly (see below).