How’s Business
How’s Business – May 2023
Welcome to our monthly conversation with bicycle shop owners across Australia and New Zealand. In last month’s How’s Business column, Leighton Thomas from Geraldton Bikes commented that he was spending a lot of time on warranty claims on new bikes that had various faults. He suggested that we ask other dealers if they were also…
How’s Business – April 2023
Welcome to our monthly conversation with retailers across Australia and NZ. It’s always dangerous to define any trends from a sample of, in this month’s case, just seven stores. However, it seems stores with less nearby competition, particularly regional stores, are finding things better than city stores where there are multiple shops nearby. We’ve been…
How’s Business? – March 2023
Welcome to our monthly chat with bicycle store owners and managers across Australia and New Zealand. We’ve been hearing reports of very large discounts being initiated nationwide by multiple bike brands as the industry faces a perfect storm of over-stock, demand returning to pre-Covid levels and consumers struggling from increased cost of living pressures. So…
How’s Business – February 2023
Welcome to our monthly round up across Australia and New Zealand, where we talk to independent bicycle dealers to ask them “How’s Business?”. The entire global bike supply chain has gone from famine to feast in most, but not all, bike categories, with manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers all struggling with high inventory levels. With that…
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…
How’s Business? – October 2022
Welcome to our monthly check-in with bicycle retailers across Australia and NZ.While sales trends varied slightly between this month’s featured businesses, the messaging on services was consistent – workshops have never been busier. As always, in addition to asking “How’s business?” we asked a follow up question. This month’s question was: “What is it your…
How’s Business? – September 2022
Welcome to our monthly check-in with bicycle retailers across Australia and NZ.As always, in addition to asking “How’s business?” we asked a follow up question. This month’s question was, “How are you preparing for a new summer season, now the days are starting to get warmer?” As Wollongong prepares to host the World Road Cycling…
How’s Business – A Berlin Special
Berlin, Germany Germany continues to be the biggest market for bicycles in the European Union and e-bikes are steadily growing towards claiming 50% of its total unit sales. However, it doesn’t take much searching in the nation’s capital, Berlin, to find examples that buck the trend completely. While major city commuting and e-bikes appear to…
How’s Business? – July 2022
Welcome to our monthly check-in with bicycle retailers across Australia and NZ.As always, in addition to asking “How’s business?” we asked a follow up question. This month’s question was, “How is your winter season shaping up compared to pre-covid winters?” Mark Wade from Pitcrew Bikes, who has two stores, to the north and south of…
How’s Business? – June 2022
Welcome to our monthly chat with dealers across Australia and NZ. COVID continues to be a consistent theme in the day-to-day operations of bike stores, as its impacts enter their next phase and retailers discuss their current challenges and forecasts. A hangover from the heady, COVID-driven sales highs of the past two years appears to…