BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
John Lewis & Partners has announced a new partnership with kids bike subscription service the Bike Club.
Initially launching in the Stratford store, it aims to give parents a hassle-free option in the build-up to and beyond Christmas. It marks the first time the retailer has offered parents the chance to get their child on either a new or refurbished bike through a subscription service.
Founded in 2016 by Alexandra Rico-Lloyd and James Symes, the Bike Club 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 an easy to manage monthly subscription, starting from £3.99.
From today onwards, John Lewis customers at the Stratford City store, within the London Westfield shopping centre, can try a selection of high-quality brands before choosing the model and size they’d like to begin their subscription with.
John Lewis customers will be able to choose from a selection of bike brands including Frog, Forme, Strider and Woom. Their children can try these out for size and pedal in-store on the roller system. The Bike Club bespoke sizing system will ensure children 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. The collected bike then heads back to the Bike Club production facility where it gets refurbished by an expert team of technicians and offered to a new family to ride for a reduced monthly fee.
Alan Wright, category lead at John Lewis, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Bike Club and offering our Stratford customers the opportunity to – sustainably – always have the right-sized bike for their children.
“We know there are many young families in and around Stratford and we expect Bike Club to be very popular as customers look to make the most of the local amenities such as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.”
James Symes, CEO and co-founder of Bike Club, added: “We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with John Lewis & Partners marking our first-ever physical retail presence. It is great to be able to offer John Lewis customers a sustainable alternative for their children’s Christmas presents.
“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.”
Rico-Lloyd was recently announced as a finalist for BikeBiz Woman of the Year at the BikeBiz Awards 2021 in association with Tannus Tyres. Read the full shortlist here.
Find out more about the Bike Club at https://bikeclub.com/.
