1982john wrote:What I find interesting about this is it shows how little British success at the tours filters down to any sort of great take up in cycling by the general masses - we were very much sold this line on the 2012 Olympics.
I thought the statistics said otherwise. Isn't this more about the continuing malaise on the high st?
No, the statistics say "the number of cycling trips remained at a similar level to previous years […] the proportion of adults cycling at least once a week in England has stayed the same"
It seems sport success isn't producing measurable uptake.
OTOH distance cycled has increased by 54% in a pretty consistent trend since 2002, which may account for the perception of more cyclists. In any event, the main point was the conflation of 2012 with Evans' issues, which I think is mistaken.
Bonefishblues wrote:I thought the statistics said otherwise. Isn't this more about the continuing malaise on the high st?
No, the statistics say "the number of cycling trips remained at a similar level to previous years […] the proportion of adults cycling at least once a week in England has stayed the same"
It seems sport success isn't producing measurable uptake.
OTOH distance cycled has increased by 54% in a pretty consistent trend since 2002, which may account for the perception of more cyclists. In any event, the main point was the conflation of 2012 with Evans' issues, which I think is mistaken.
Similar numbers cycling further isn't "great take up in cycling by the general masses" but I think you're probably right that the stagnation of uptake isn't the biggest factor in Evans's woes.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
More miles equals more consumables surely. Maybe more bike sales as people decide they are cycling enough to warrant an upgrade. That's a newbie n+1 thing. I've been there in the past (and contemplating it again despite not being a newbie since I read 5 years old).
Evans cycles (not the same chain as Evans which is a clothing retailer in case you Google just Evans) has a good store near me. I just can't go in anymore. You know when you feel guilty about popping in for a look round and not buy anything. Well that store was my "I'm waiting to meet up with someone but have time to kill and nothing to do" store. Basically I felt I became known as the guy who rarely buys anything. So I started buying the odd cheap consumable with every visit. I'm now cold turkey and clean from that for months!
Seriously that store is a decent one local to me. Used to be better. A few highly knowledge staff moved on and got replaced by less knowledgeable and it shows. However the senior guy (possibly manager) is very good for advice and stock knowledge. He often drops a bit of advice whilst passing if the guy helping me gets stuck.
1982john wrote:What I find interesting about this is it shows how little British success at the tours filters down to any sort of great take up in cycling by the general masses - we were very much sold this line on the 2012 Olympics.
Does it? I thought it demonstrated the obvious that whatever the sector, the High St isn't where the money is being spent. As an unscientific observation form a small midlands city - there's far more cyclists on a day to day basis than there were a decade ago, whether that's in the works bike shed, out on a Sunday run or passing my window on the bike path.
Maybe there is more cycling, plus the tragedy of drive-cycling Ideally cycling should be cheap, it is not the economy stupid
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120 Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
I've been in the Cardiff Evans a few times lately and come out empty handed because they didn't have what I wanted. Cycling trousers (non-lycra) that aren't the Humvees I already have? Nope. Nothing. Just lycra. Upmarket rear battery light? Nope, just cheap Cateye and Christmas cracker things I could get in Halfords. Proper bolt-on SKS guards. Nope. Just some less convincing own brand version. Went home, went online.
1982john wrote:What I find interesting about this is it shows how little British success at the tours filters down to any sort of great take up in cycling by the general masses - we were very much sold this line on the 2012 Olympics.
Does it? I thought it demonstrated the obvious that whatever the sector, the High St isn't where the money is being spent. As an unscientific observation form a small midlands city - there's far more cyclists on a day to day basis than there were a decade ago, whether that's in the works bike shed, out on a Sunday run or passing my window on the bike path.
Undoubtedly the problems of the high street has played a part - I said as much in my previous post. That said some high street chains are doing fine.
But I would expect that newcomers to quite a technical sport like cycling would be getting their first bike in a shop (now they may still go and get it online anyway).
I accept that I had not thoroughly researched if cycling use had significantly increased since pre-Olympics and was only going by what I've heard from others! Mind, even if we could determine statistically that it had it would be difficult to then apply this to the success of the Olympics or pro cycling.
In the past three years, Cycle Republic has opened 21 new shops – the latest in Gateshead, where Evans Cycles also has a store.
It’s also opened a store in Nottingham (282.2 ft from Evans Cycles’ store), West End (0.1 miles from Evans Cycles Mortimer Street store), Canary Wharf (0.1 miles away from Evans Cycles), Fenchurch Street (0.3 miles from Evans Cycles’ Mark Lane store), Cheltenham (1.6 miles from Evans Cycles), Edinburgh (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles’ store), Glasgow (0.5 miles from Evans Cycles), Manchester (0.8 miles from Evans Cycles in Deansgate), Birmingham (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles in Temple Street), Reading (0.5 miles from Evans Cycles), Norwich (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles), Leeds (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles), Bristol (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles). All distances are taken from Google maps and store information pages.
Cycle Republic’s managing director Peter Kimberley left his role as Head of Retail at Evans Cycles in September 2013.
Paulatic wrote:Maybe there’s something in this, revenge attack?
In the past three years, Cycle Republic has opened 21 new shops – the latest in Gateshead, where Evans Cycles also has a store.
It’s also opened a store in Nottingham (282.2 ft from Evans Cycles’ store), West End (0.1 miles from Evans Cycles Mortimer Street store), Canary Wharf (0.1 miles away from Evans Cycles), Fenchurch Street (0.3 miles from Evans Cycles’ Mark Lane store), Cheltenham (1.6 miles from Evans Cycles), Edinburgh (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles’ store), Glasgow (0.5 miles from Evans Cycles), Manchester (0.8 miles from Evans Cycles in Deansgate), Birmingham (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles in Temple Street), Reading (0.5 miles from Evans Cycles), Norwich (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles), Leeds (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles), Bristol (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles). All distances are taken from Google maps and store information pages.
Cycle Republic’s managing director Peter Kimberley left his role as Head of Retail at Evans Cycles in September 2013.
Norwich's Cycle Republic opened in April 2015 (the first non-London branch) while IIRC Evans Cycles opened the same autumn (after the refurbishment of the tower it's in), so I'm not sure you can really count that one as revenge!
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
Norwich's Cycle Republic opened in April 2015 (the first non-London branch) while IIRC Evans Cycles opened the same autumn (after the refurbishment of the tower it's in), so I'm not sure you can really count that one as revenge![/quote]
You’ll be assuming Peter Kimberley didn’t know about their plans to open there.
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life
Paulatic wrote:Maybe there’s something in this, revenge attack?
In the past three years, Cycle Republic has opened 21 new shops – the latest in Gateshead, where Evans Cycles also has a store.
It’s also opened a store in Nottingham (282.2 ft from Evans Cycles’ store), West End (0.1 miles from Evans Cycles Mortimer Street store), Canary Wharf (0.1 miles away from Evans Cycles), Fenchurch Street (0.3 miles from Evans Cycles’ Mark Lane store), Cheltenham (1.6 miles from Evans Cycles), Edinburgh (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles’ store), Glasgow (0.5 miles from Evans Cycles), Manchester (0.8 miles from Evans Cycles in Deansgate), Birmingham (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles in Temple Street), Reading (0.5 miles from Evans Cycles), Norwich (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles), Leeds (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles), Bristol (0.2 miles from Evans Cycles). All distances are taken from Google maps and store information pages.
Cycle Republic’s managing director Peter Kimberley left his role as Head of Retail at Evans Cycles in September 2013.
Bricks & mortar for a company like Evans must be a very complex evaluation. The have to offer internet prices to compete against e.g. Wiggle and even themselves but the cost of running a shop must reduce margins significantly. But a shop can do things the internet can't e.g. service or immediate test rides, etc. but is the business from that very profitable? And then maybe for recently opened stores they got a good deal because nobody else is opening stores so I assume they must have got fabulous rent deals (them or another empty store for the foreseeable future).
But as others have said, their in-store range (in my limited experience) is poor and that might push people who visit stores to the likes of Wiggle & Chain Reaction, etc. without bothering to even check Evans online offering.
For me, balancing all the different factors looks like a very complex exercise.
But after people have mentioned that they have a margin problem, I assume the "own brand" move may be an attempt to widen margins.
Got to agree and I would say that one of their greatest assets is that you can return an item, if unused, within 12 months of purchase.As if that is not good enough they also make it so easy to return the items without any extra cost to the purchaser. A facility I have used several times just recently. Sadly because of both of these assets CRC is my first port of call rather than my LBS as they have very few items for sale.
