BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
John Lewis & Partners has launched an online kids’ bike subscription with the Bike Club.
Last year John Lewis & Partners announced a brand new partnership with the kids’ bike subscription service, launching in the Stratford store. The Bike Club is now also available online.
Founded in 2016 by Alexandra Rico-Lloyd and James Symes, the Bike Club is a kid’s bike subscription service and to date has succeeded in getting over 40,000 young cyclists pedalling. The Bike Club makes high-quality kids’ bikes and scooters more accessible to parents through a monthly subscription, starting from as little as £4.49.
The service also eliminates the throw-away culture that is commonplace within the existing kids’ bike market. Those who sign up and become a member can select a convenient date for the bike to be delivered directly to their door, and this can then be exchanged at any time as their child grows.
John Lewis customers can try a selection of high-quality brands such as Frog, Forme, Strider and Woom at the Stratford store before choosing the model and size they’d like to begin their subscription with. Children can try these out for size, and even pedeal in-store on the innovative roller system.
The Bike Club bespoke sizing system will ensure children always have the correct sized bike. Parents can join the Bike Club there and then, before arranging delivery of the bike through an interactive store tablet.
When Bike Club members are ready to exchange their bike, they can arrange a collection via the Bike Club website. These are collected at the same time as the next sized bike is delivered to their door. The collected bike then heads back to the Bike Club’s production facility where it gets refurbished by an expert team of technicians and offered to a new family to ride and love for a reduced monthly fee.
Alan Wright, category lead at John Lewis, said: “We are delighted to be offering our customers accessibility to Bike Club online and offering a sustainable way to shop for even more of our customers.”
James Symes, CEO and co-founder of the Bike Club, added: “We are thrilled to announce our new online service with John Lewis & Partners offering customers a sustainable alternative for their children’s bikes.
“As society faces climate change, we should work together not to consume less, but consume better, meaning we should rent better things and refurbish them. This is exactly the option Bike Club gives tens of thousands of families across the UK.”
