BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Giant UK has been hosting dealers at its Midlands HQ for the past five weeks. BikeBiz was present on Wednesday this week when dealers from Ireland were shown around the stylish office and showroom complex.
As well as seeing the bikes launched at Eurobike, dealers were given demos of Giant UK’s new ‘click and collect’ service which will be rolled out in October.
This will allow consumers to buy bikes (but not yet accessories) via Giant-bicycles.co.uk. Bikes will be delivered to dealers for final PDQs and sizing checks.
There’s no loss of margin, said Ian Beasant, Giant UK’s general manager, ‘click and collect’ is a means of generating sales for dealers and making sure a consumer interested in a Giant bicycle can be converted into a sale there and then.
Another way of capturing a sale will be via a new iPad app. This was being used at the dealer open days to take trade orders and will be repurposed for use in bike shops. Giant has 400 dealers, including ten standalone Giant-only shops. The iPad app will feature bike specs and spinnable, zoomable pix of bikes.
Giant has 23 staff at its Midlands HQ which has showrooms, an olive tree at the entrance, a presentation theatre, and upstairs offices. There’s no stock-holding: bikes are shipped from a warehouse in Felixstowe.
The company was formerly based in Nottingham and moved to its present location near Leicester in December last year. The office and showroom block is bright, airy and boldly decorated.
Here’s a photo essay of the HQ, the visit by Irish dealers and, of course, Flo, the office dog.
Any other UK bike companies got an olive tree at the entrance?
Irish dealers taking in the September sun outside Giant UK’s canteen
Giant UK’s entrance. An Irish dealer grabs a free tee.
The squiggle is everywhere at Giant’s smart HQ.
Other bike company HQs have pallets; Giant’s UK HQ has palettes.
The Better by Bike graphic is available to Giant dealers; bronze bike sculpture isn’t.
Show stand repurposed
This is Florence, the office dog. She growls, but doesn’t bite.
This is Ian, Giant UK’s general manager. He neither growls nor bites.
That’s an order.
The lust room, full of…
Giant city bike
Lightweight take on the Dutch roadster
Helmets: tested on brick walls
Shadow painting
Glory
Rule of thirds
David Ward talking tech.
Giant’s presentation theatre; venue for David Ward’s carbon talks
More squiggle.
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[Even more pix here].
