All riding disciplines are covered, from tri, road, gravel, MTB, to trekking and commuting. SQlab was purchased by Boards&More (world market leader in wind-watersports hardware, already having an own cycling brand: ION apparel and protection) in 2021.
In early 2022, the distribution for UK
switched to Sean Reynolds, who had been with Boards&More for almost a decade and is also Rocky Mountain Bicycles rep.
What area of the market do you target? Aftermarket only, all rider-bike touchpoints, all riding disciplines, sportive to comfort. Medium to high price points, with good margins. Absolutely retail/LBS focused sales approach, because fitting is a huge part of SQlab’s success story. No seasonal products, long product lifecycles (products are only replaced by successor models if there is a real benefit for the rider), thus avoiding discounting pressure, and making products always in stock/available for retailers.
What makes your products unique? SQlab products make riding your bike more enjoyable, by easing the pain or numbness issues a rider might have. No female/male specific products, it’s all about fit.
CEO and founder Tobias Hild
All our products come in different sizes to guarantee this. Most important patents are the ‘step-shaped’ saddle construction, or our ‘innerbarends’.
What unique offerings do you have for retailers? Unique POS systems including measuring tools that make fitting a breeze and customers happy. Latest in-shop sales- tool is a super easy to use ‘Profiler’ app, which enables the dealer to measure the customer via the iPad/iPhone camera, and recommend the appropriate products through a guided, complete needs analysis. SQlab also offers product education workshops and and has established an own e-learning platform, called ‘IQlab’.
What sort of feedback have you received from the industry? Our products do work, and new SQlab buyers (end consumers) are becoming returning customers, some even real brand ambassadors within their personal network. Retailers do value that we are a very LBS focused, easy-going brand without any ‘numbers pressure’, but simply want our retailers and end consumers to be happy. Our retail-customer support has been awarded by the VSF
(German bicycle and service association) each and every year. Since we joined the ranking, we have always been in the top five within our component category.
What are your plans for 2022 and beyond? Get to meet way more UK industry friends, get to know the market better, and establish a great relationship with dealers. First bigger move in UK is SQlab’s official Bespoked Show collab, where we equip all custom frame builders with products (if they want to use them, and if they are the clients’ preference), to support these great artisans, that are a source for unique inspiration and builds, perfectly fitted to riders. That’s what is most important to us: riders loving to ride, because they use parts that fit them and their riding style, perfectly.
46 | October 2022
www.bikebiz.com
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