Evans Cycles seeks buyer after failing to mount rescue bid

[TrevA]

I was in. Evans last Sunday, as my son in law was buying a new GPS. They will no longer give discount for CUK membership. I queried this and they said that CUK HQ haven't renewed the deal. I thought it was just an informal arrangement anyway, as you never got the discount online. They will only give BC discount if you have a QR code. We were on the verge of walking out of the shop when they realised that they could offer a discount as we were spending more than £250 (Wahoo Elemnt Bolt Performance Bundle - £259) we eventually got £30 off.

I go to Evans quite a lot, but I rarely buy anything. The Nottm store is virtually next door to Cycle Republic, so I always go in both to compare prices, but you can still usually get stuff cheaper online. Evans not giving discount anymore isn't going to encourage me to spend in there, especially as Halfords do still give discount for CUK membership.

[PH]

I go to Evans quite a lot, but I rarely buy anything. The Nottm store is virtually next door to Cycle Republic, so I always go in both to compare prices,

I haven't been to Nottingham for a while. Out of interest, how big is the Cycle Republic store and how much stock do they seem to be holding? Casual observation from the couple I've been in is that they're a good bit smaller than the couple of Evans I've also been in. This falls in with my theory that some retailers (Across all sectors) are using their physical presence as much as a shop window ( ) as a retail outlet.
I was in M&S last week looking for a shirt, everything is labeled up with adverts for alternatives available online, different sizes, colours, accessories. There are huge savings for holding minimal stock, both in terms of the stock and the holding costs. Wiggle and the like often don't even have the stock they claim, it's still with the supplier and assigned to them, it doesn't cost them anything till it's sold. I don't think it's any longer possible for any high street retailer to compete on price and many of them need to up the service levels to justify the inevitable costs.

[thirdcrank]

Yes.

I think that it's an attempt to exploit the gap between all the problems with a big stock in a shop and mail order problems of deliveries when people are out at work. If you have plenty of shops in busy centres, you can run a form of click-and-collect without providing the service from stock in the shop and a lot of customers can call in. FWIW, as often as not if I order something click-and-collect almost anywhere, I have to wait while somebody goes and retrieves it from the shelves; it's rarely ready behind the counter.

Now that Argos is a part of Sainsburys, there seems to be little you can order in-store and get it immediately.

[Psamathe]

The aspect I find strange and pushes me to buy on the internet is the legal option to return after a few days (or longer). Buy in a shop and the moment you walk out of the door any non-warranty return is at the shop's "discretion". Do the same on the internet and you have 14(?) days to try it on or whatever, think, try it on again, stand it next to the TV, see if it matches your other sweater, whatever, etc. and still have the right to return for refund. I appreciate some shops are more generous in accepting non-warranty returns but when business is "tight" they can become rather reserved at refunding a sale insisting you can't or outside the 20 minute refund window or only issuing you a credit note or all sorts of other constraints.

So I have on occasions been ready to buy in a shop and thought I'll go home and order online at the same price as I have greater rights as far as returns go. I don't know where "click-and-collect" sit in terms of your rights - do they count as an online purchase as you order online or a bricks & mortar purchase as you go into a shop and walk out with the goods?

Ian

[thirdcrank]

Without any definitive answer, I suspect that as this is covered by distance selling regulations, then the place where the contract is made is crucial. Ordering something to be delivered to a shop where you pay for it doesn't sound like distance selling to me, whereas completing the transaction online and collecting from a shop does. Perhaps this will smoke out somebody who knows.

(I don't buy stuff with the intention of sending it back.)

[bigjim]

I'm not surprised by this news. I just can't see how they can expect to survive as overheads soar. Councils see shops closing and them losing Business Rates revenue and attempt to make up the shortfall by increasing rates to the survivors. Plus other costs like insurance, shopfitting, marketing continue to soar.
I don't know about others on here but I am a bad consumer. I don't buy new bikes as the ones I have do the job and will see me out. I only tend to buy consumables and I buy these online. I used to support my local LBS's but one shut down and the other was bought out The current owner is only interested in selling and repairing the new breed of bikes. He has little knowledge of older stuff. Maybe the new breed of cyclists who are unable to maintain their own bikes will keep things going?
I think the future of retail bike sales for those who walk into shops [I detest shopping] will be set by the likes of Decathlon and Halfords. I would have thought anybody who wishes to earn a living repairing bikes will have to work from some back street garage or shed and sell a few cheap consumables. The High Street is no longer a viable place for bike sales and repairs IMO.

[thirdcrank]

When Evans was expanding to the frozen North, the first branch around here was in Castleford but they called it the Leeds branch.

The first time I went they seemed to have the entire Bianchi range on show, perhaps 15-20 bikes and a lot more besides.

There was a proper lbs in Cas - Kendell's - down a back street and also a Bianchi stockist.
http://kendellcycles.co.uk/
My days of mooching around bike shops are long gone, but I see Evans have dropped Bianchi. I also see that Kendell's is still in business but they seem to have dropped Bianchi too. I'm indifferent about what happens to Evans, but I hope that Kendell's prospers.

[fausto copy]

Just for you TC (sorry about the quality of the pic though):

fausto.

[thirdcrank]

I'm not surprised that you know all about Bianchi, Fausto.

[fausto copy]

DADDY!

[Bonefishblues]

DADDY!

You and your hundred siblings!

[pwa]

Just for you TC (sorry about the quality of the pic though):
Bianchi.jpg
fausto.

Maybe it's just me, but those magic old bike brands mean a lot less when they are on plastic.

[mjr]

Just for you TC (sorry about the quality of the pic though):
Bianchi.jpg
fausto.

Maybe it's just me, but those magic old bike brands mean a lot less when they are on plastic.

Just for us, then:

[thirdcrank]

I must have mentioned this before but I've never understood why a manufacturer whose name means "white" would invariably finish their frames in blue.

[TrevA]

I go to Evans quite a lot, but I rarely buy anything. The Nottm store is virtually next door to Cycle Republic, so I always go in both to compare prices,

I haven't been to Nottingham for a while. Out of interest, how big is the Cycle Republic store and how much stock do they seem to be holding? Casual observation from the couple I've been in is that they're a good bit smaller than the couple of Evans I've also been in. This falls in with my theory that some retailers (Across all sectors) are using their physical presence as much as a shop window ( ) as a retail outlet.
I was in M&S last week looking for a shirt, everything is labeled up with adverts for alternatives available online, different sizes, colours, accessories. There are huge savings for holding minimal stock, both in terms of the stock and the holding costs. Wiggle and the like often don't even have the stock they claim, it's still with the supplier and assigned to them, it doesn't cost them anything till it's sold. I don't think it's any longer possible for any high street retailer to compete on price and many of them need to up the service levels to justify the inevitable costs.

Cycle Republic in Nottingham is as big, possibly even bigger than Evans and they seem to have a lot more bikes on display. The range of clothing is better in Evans, most of the other stuff is pretty much the same. However, a game changer for me could be the discount. I understand Cycle republic are part of Halfords. Do they offer the same discount? If so, then I'll be shopping there more in future. I bought some tyres from Halfords today and got the 10% discount - on an already cheap price (£27 for a Conti Gatorskin, got it for £24.30 with discount).