RETAILERS
Mud Dock assistant manager Charlie Parry (left) and founder Jerry Arron
“We’re also on the cusp of an electric cargo bike revolution. I can see it happening, because with the Tern GSDs, we can’t get enough of them. “That’s quite exciting in a city like Bristol, with people thinking about doing away with the second car, or buying things like the Tern GSDs for the school run, shopping or just generally getting about. “I do very much see that opportunity, and I think fortunately we’re right there on it.”
The team The bike shop team operates with two mechanics, then two other full time shop floor staff (manager and assistant manager), and three part-time workers. During my visit to Mud Dock, I also had the opportunity to speak with assistant manager Charlie Parry, 23. Parry started his cycle industry career straight out of school, joining Cycle Republic in the centre of Bristol, before switching to Mud Dock where he has now been working for three years, and as assistant manager for the past year. On the trends he’s seen in the industry in the last four years, Parry said: “Cargo bikes are really on the up, and gravel has really changed in the bike shops I’ve been in. Gravel wasn’t such a big thing a few years ago. “The rise of the cargo bike and Brompton, these utility
bikes. These bikes are still pretty popular, whereas your hobby bikes, your high-end road bikes are much quieter, partly because of the time of year.” On the difference between working at Mud Dock and working for a high street chain, Parry said: “There’s a big difference. Rather than just standing on tills and scanning, being here is great. When I was at Cycle Surgery it was owned by Halfords, there was no dealing with supplies, there was no warranty stuff or anything like that. You just phoned someone and they dealt with it. “Here it’s great to meet people, we had a couple of reps
in yesterday, it means you get more experience and it’s way nicer.”
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The hybrid restaurant and bike shop is decorated with cycling memorabilia
“We’re in a good spot here because we’re close enough to the centre of town, we get a good amount of footfall and people are able to walk to us.
“I think the cafe is so popular among everyone now, not
just cyclists. If a group of cyclists turned up on a Saturday morning without booking a table, they wouldn’t find a space. So that’s something I think we’re trying to sort out.”
Lessons learned With almost 30 years in the business, Arron has picked up plenty of knowledge, and I was keen to learn what his top tips would be for cycle retailers: “A major one is not overcommitting, I think that’s a lesson. “You need to be able to switch your focus fairly quickly, and if something’s not working don’t just persevere with it. It’s difficult, because you might be passionate about downhilling and you’ve got 20 great downhill customers, but they’ve all got a bike now, so where is your future business coming from? “You’ve got to be flexible, and you’ve got to make sure
you’re not overstocked, because that could be a problem if that market dries up.” Learning through experience, Mud Dock has moved
away from selling cycling clothing, now only keeping a tight range of cycling apparel and cycling shoes in stock, as Arron believes that clothing is no longer a good seller for bricks and mortar retailers, owing to online sales and extensive discounting. And finally, I was curious about the legacy of Mud Dock, and what Arron was most proud of: “I think how we differ from a lot of places is that we create cyclists. “Over the years we’ve put about 15,000 people on
bicycles. If I’m looking for something to put on my grave, something that I was pleased to have done, it was creating cyclists, because it’s good for them, good for the city of Bristol, it’s good for the environment - there’s nothing bad about it.” ●
December 2022 | 21
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