BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Ben Simmons has joined Paligap as a Brand Manager for Alé Cycle clothing and head of the Power Ambassador program from Powertap.
Simmons has come from the online retailer Wiggle where he held the position of Cycle Marketing Manager for two and a half years and prior to that was a cycling coach for Welsh Cycling for three years. Simmon’s challenge now is to help drive Alé in to independent bike stores, alongside educating consumers on the benefits of training with power.
Ben is also a keen racing cyclist who competes across multiple disciplines and currently holds an elite mountain bike and 1st category road racing license.
“I am very excited to be working for Paligap, they love cycling and are passionate about their brands. I am very lucky to be looking after such a premium Italian cycle clothing brand. The Alé brand is fairly new to the market, but has a history of over 30 years of manufacturing for other high end quality brands. I experienced the huge growth of Alé clothing at Wiggle and feel that there is a lot more to growth to be had. I will also be responsible for Alé custom clothing where we can produce kit for teams and clubs at market leading prices. Also with my background in coaching and racing this will help to deliver the Power Ambassador program that is being introduced to help educate consumers on power meters and how to train using power.” Said Ben.
David Lane Paligap MD commented “Paligap welcome Ben on-board the Brand Management team at an exciting time in the UK market for the clothing & apparel sector.
"With ALE growing year on year and the introduction of the custom clothing program, as well as the regular line, we are confident in ALE becoming a major player in this category. Training with Power is also a growing sector with a number of competitors coming into the UK in the last 12 – 18 months. PowerTap has had a presence in the UK for more than ten years now and with the introduction of the Pedal and Chainring system the brand is going from strength to strength. With Ben overseeing our new Ambassador program we will have everything we need to ensure our dealers and the end consumer has all the information they need to make the most of training with power.”
For more information on Ale clothing or the new Powertap systems contact Paligap sales on 01454 332 110 or email Ben Simmons at bsimmons@paligap.cc
