BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
The results of BikeBiz’s yearly retail survey are in, polling bicycle retailers on 2014’s performance on the front line of the industry. Read the first part of the survey online, on profits and competition.
3. Which of the following do you feel has generated the most interest in cycling lately?
We phrased this one carefully – we didn’t say which of the above had boosted sales, only generated interest. A good thing too, for while the Grand Depart has clearly dominated here (though worth noting the Tour of Britain’s standing), many retailers were supremely cynical about any impact on trading, many commenting “none of the above, most of it is media hype” and another said “none of the above has generated any interest for our business”. Others pointed to a growth in commuter cycling, including local authority cycle promotion schemes, and of course the weather for boosting interest in cycling. However some retailers did feel that ‘general positive press about cycling’ was having some impact.
4. Are you selling more or less bikes with finance deals than this time last year?
Around ten per cent of respondents skipped this question as they didn’t offer finance – “demand is negligible” – while another said they’d recently introduced it and not found it to be popular. Certainly finance sales are not proving quite as essential as you might think in an economy that is reportedly not boosting employee’s pay packets as much as would be hoped. The majority found finance sales were static, while over a quarter saw a rise.
Stay tuned for the rest of the results to the BikeBiz Retail Survey 2014. If you’re in a hurry then you can download the December mag as a PDF or read it online.
