Posts by Phil Latz
Software Upgrade Will Make Your Yearbook Updating Easier!
Wollongong, NSW If you’re a wholesaler, manufacturer or any other bike industry member that has a listing in our annual Latz Report Yearbook, we have double good news for you! Firstly, it’s that time of year again when you have a window of opportunity to update your listing for the 2023 Latz Report Yearbook. If…
Fans and Bike Industry Return to the TDU
Adelaide, SA It has been three long years since the last fully international Tour Down Under was held in Adelaide. During the previous edition in January 2020, Covid was just starting to make the headlines, but few in either the professional peloton or the exhibiting bike industry could have anticipated the global disruption that was…
How’s Business – December 2022
Welcome to our monthly column in which we call a wide range of independent bike shops across Australia and NZ and start by simply asking “How’s business?”. We always ask a follow-up question. This month’s was: How do your sales figures since the Covid boom ended compare to your pre-Covid figures? Will Arnott from My…
Monthly Bike Imports Starting to Fall
Canberra, ACT It appears that after two years of stratospheric bicycle imports, numbers are starting to fall back to earth. Bicycle imports for August were slightly lower than most pre-Covid years and September imports were significantly lower. In August, 117,864 bikes were imported. That’s the third lowest August total since 2009 and the two years…
The More You Learn, The More You Earn!
Wollongong, NSW Years ago, a long-time friend and long-distance mentor of mine, Marc Sani (author of our Letter from America column), taught me a lesson I’ve always tried to implement. “Your readers don’t care what you think, they just want to know the facts! So just report the facts and keep your opinions to yourself.”…
Pon Hosts Special Night for Cervélo Dealers
Sydney, NSW High performance bike brand Cervélo delivered an unmissable dinner for its Australian retailers last month – based on its perfect attendance rate. Offering the chance to meet one of road cycling’s biggest stars at the moment, in one of the world’s most picturesque city locations, Cervélo and its distributor in this country, Pon.Bike…
Australian Bicycle Imports Top 1.5 Million for the Second Time Ever
Canberra, ACT A total of 1,534,544 bicycles were imported to Australia for the full 2021/22 financial year – only the second time imports have topped 1.5 million. It first happened in 2020/21, when imports rose by 520,000 units on the previous year and hit an all-time record of 1,690,637 million units. Of course, everyone knows…
Aussie Bike Industry Flies the Flag at UCI Worlds in Wollongong
Wollongong, NSW It’s not every year Australia gets to host the UCI Road Cycling World Championships. In fact, this month was only the second occasion in history, after Geelong was the first the earn the right in 2010. We don’t do race reporting in The Latz Report, as there are plenty of consumer sites you…
MCH Embrace a Multi-Channel Strategy
Melbourne, Victoria MCH Sports is one of Australia’s newer bicycle and P&A importers and distributors. It focuses upon high-end Italian brands including ALE apparel, De Rosa bikes, SIXS undergarments, Vision components, BLIZ eyewear and DMT shoes. Having met founder James Kristie previously at the Handmade Bike Show Australia, I recently had the opportunity to visit…
Mixed Response to New Melbourne Bike Show
Melbourne, Victoria A new consumer bike show was held in Melbourne on the weekend of 10th – 11th September at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, on the south bank of the Yarra River and across from Melbourne’s CBD. The event was organised by Javier Tellez. At just 20 years of age, this was the first event…