Posts by Phil Latz
Shoes and Pedals – The Perfect Upsell to Boost Your Profits
Once upon a time, clip in style cycling shoes and pedals were expensive and only for ‘hard core’ roadies and mountain bikers. Road shoes are still a relatively small market. Their totally rigid soles and big cleats that make you waddle and clip clop like a tap dancing penguin will ensure that they stay niche…
Bicycle Wholesalers Share Their Thoughts on Current Situation
In addition to surveying 25 retailers for this month’s newsletter, we sent emails to CEO’s of 12 of the largest bicycle wholesalers in Australia. We focused upon companies who mainly import complete bicycles, as opposed to P&A. Next month we’ll contact some P&A specialist wholesalers for their opinions. Thanks very much to all those who…
Increased Global Bicycle Demand Could Mean Re-Stocking Delays for Australia
It’s becoming apparent to me that the Covid-19 related bike boom will have two distinct phases and that the second phase will be larger and longer than the first. In Australia we’re already coming out of Phase One. That’s been when bored people, chafing at the bit from lockdown: closed gyms, closed theatres, closed sport,…
Mavic Placed Into Receivership
On 2nd May 2020, French manufacturer Mavic was placed into receivership. Last year Mavic was sold by its former parent company Amer Sports to a Californian based private equity firm, Regent LP. There are a range of further complications around the ownership structure. Mavic was founded in Lyon, France in the late 1800’s by Charles…
2020 Yearbook Coming Soon! Last Chance to Update Your Listing
We aim to be publishing The Latz Report Yearbook 2020 by the end of next month. If you’re a wholesaler or any other bike business that sells products or services to retailers, then today (Friday 29th May) is your last chance to update your free listing. Due to economic and logistical impacts of the coronavirus,…
‘Bicycles Are the New Toilet Paper!’ Aussie Dealer Comment Goes Global
When Australian bicycle shop owner Grant Kaplan of Giant Sydney made this throwaway line to a journalist last month, he probably didn’t expect it to go global. But in a world that’s bored, desperate for some good news and starved of some comic relief his quote has gone global. Grant’s exact quote, according to The…
From Corporate Servicing to Cobweb Removal
Thomas Treloar’s business The Rolling Fix has established a profitable niche over the past seven years. Unlike most other mobile mechanics who go house to house, Thomas usually works in the underground car parks and bike parking facilities of the large office towers in Sydney’s CBD. Working with major corporates and building managers to a…
Australian Bicycle Imports Down for March 2020
Bicycle imports into Australia were down for the month March with the total of 38,942 being the lowest March figure for any of the past 10 years. It’s reasonable to assume that at least part of the reason for the low figure was disruption of factories, particularly in China, due to Covid-19. Although the March…
Do You Take Personal Responsibility for Your Business?
The world of business can be brutal. There’s no safety net. It’s survival of the fittest. If you have a tendency to sugar coat the facts or worse still, avoid them entirely, then there’s a strong chance that they will come back to bite you. You need to take personal responsibility for your actions and…
Shimano Cycling Sales Down 15% for Jan to March
For the quarter ended 31st March 2020, Shimano’s net sales from the bicycle components segment decreased 15.4%, compared like-for-like with the same period last year, to 58,868 million yen, (A$841 million) while operating income decreased 26.1% to 10,298 million yen (A$147 million). In Europe, Shimano noted strong retail sales of completed bicycles, particularly e-Bike’s, but…