BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news

America's second biggest discount retailer - the biggest is Wal-Mart - has been unable to pay its weekly food supply bill and if the 2100-store chain collapses many bike trade companies will be hurt.

Boots the Chemists PLC released its group interim third quarter results yesterday. Halfords, and Bikehut, did well. And this week sees the start of Phase Three in the Bikehut store conversion plan. 60 more stores are being revamped.

...for about a week. The editor is off on a business trip to the US. Want to know what he'll be getting up to? Click within.

Tech-head Paul Smith has handed in his resignation to Future and will leave MBUK in a month's time. And Malcolm Fawcett, former editor of madformountainbiking.com, joins Pressure PR, the bike trade specific agency

At today's first meeting of the newly formed National Cycling Strategy Board (packed to the gills with high calibre individuals) John Spellar, the Minister for Transport, outlined proposals for the provision of a cycling fund of up to £1million per year over the next two years to provide support for a range of cycling projects across England. Is it new cash? One of the board members said: "When you're given a tasty cake you don't have to ask where it came from."