FEATURE
A BLEAK PICTURE?
Recent Bicycle Association figures for 2022 showed a fall in kids’ bike sales compared to pre-Covid numbers - but how concerning is this for the wider industry? Rebecca Morley reports
PHOTO BY CLARK YOUNG ON UNSPLASH E
ncouraging children to cycle is hugely important for all brands within the bike industry, whether or not it actually sells kids’ bikes. Many will agree that
learning to ride a bike is easier when you’re young, and it’s a life skill that kids will keep forever. But according to a recent report from the Bicycle Association (BA), kids’ bike sales were down in 2022 compared to pre-Covid levels, a decline that is “really worrying”, according to BA head of insights and report author John Worthington.
www.bikebiz.com The BA’s Annual Market Data Report for 2022 - Riding out
the Storm - revealed that total UK mechanical bike volumes fell by 22% to an estimated 1.88 million units in 2022. This was 27% below pre-Covid levels in 2019, and kids’ bike sales also fell by 28% below 2019 numbers.
Boom and bust “During the first Covid lockdown, there was a brief spike in kids’ bike sales during that April/May/June period,” explained Worthington. “But during the year as a whole, kids bike sales
May 2023 | 7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
