BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
BikeBiz editor Alex Ballinger heads across the Cotswolds to visit Oxford Products HQ in Witney, Oxfordshire during one of the distributor’s dealer days
This piece first appeared in the July edition of BikeBiz magazine – get your free subscription here
Oxford Products is arguably better-known worldwide in the motorbike market, but the Oxfordshire-based brand is rapidly growing in the cycling world. In May, Oxford Products held a week of dealer days at its HQ in Witney, on the edge of the Cotswolds, inviting its network of retailers for a tour of the 100,000 square foot facility, and offering an insight into its own-brand and third party products. BikeBiz tagged along to hear about the latest developments.
Oxford Products is a unique proposition in the cycling market, acting as both product designer and distributor, while straddling both the pedal and motor–powered markets. In the bike trade, Oxford is probably best known for its own-brand essentials for commuters and leisure riders, from lights to locks.
But the brand now has been expanding its distribution wing, supplying a number of third party brands, including G-Form protective wear, Kali helmets, and Sigma cycle computers and lights.
To highlight the variety of products on offer, Oxford has recently opened a new cycle showroom in the main building of its HQ – a slick and modern space showcasing all its third-party and own-brand offerings, including its new range of performance-focused Venture waterproof jackets.
But to accommodate this new showroom, Oxford has also been forced to expand its office space, taking over another building a five-minute walk from the main warehouse. The expanded space gives Oxford a new hub for product design, including in-house 3D printing and stress-testing, as well as content creation from its new photo studio.
Oxford’s expansion is not just limited to the showroom, however, as the company is also expanding its warehouse space, to accommodate the phenomenal amount of stock being processed following the Covid boom. Touring the new Oxford facilities alongside many of its dealers, it was striking how the coronvirus pandemic has rapidly accelerated plans both for distributors and retailers.
With almost all work now being carried out in-house at Oxford (except of course the actual manufacturing, which is outsourced, as one eagle-eyed dealer pointed out), Oxford hopes to be able to continue its enormous growth.
Oxford Products expansion
– Since 2020 Oxford Products has benefitted from capital cost of £5 million, which has been put into company expansion. This includes staff, buildings, facilities and product development
– Sales growth has been £36 million since 2020 with a top target to hit £50 million by the end of the calendar year becoming more real
– With the expansion of a new warehouse Oxford will be able to work with 50% more pallet space
