News
How’s Business – November 2023
Welcome to How’s Business, brought to you by Knog – Australian designed and lighting up the world. I’ve recently been hearing about multiple stores, spread across three different States and Territories, where senior bicycle mechanics or workshop managers are being offered or already being paid salaries in the vicinity of $90,000. This is higher than…
$12.4 Million Loss, Three NZ Stores Closed & New Gold Coast Store – Mixed Fortunes for Pedal Group
Coomera, Queensland Pedal Group will enjoy a moment of celebration in a generally tough year, when it opens a new store on the Gold Coast in the coming weeks. Amid recent news about sizeable losses and a drop in valuation for the organisation, and speculation the organisation is about to close multiple Australian stores, Pedal…
Cyberbikes Chooses a Different Path
Leichhardt, NSW Cyberbikes has just opened a relatively small shop on one of Sydney’s busiest stretches of road. Parramatta Road at Leichhardt is about six kilometres west of the CBD. This is a relatively densely populated area with century-old terrace houses and a wide range of apartment buildings. Unlike most small bicycle stores, founder Felipe…
JetBlack’s Bright Future Beyond Wahoo Settlement
Sydney, NSW A recently concluded patent dispute between global indoor trainer heavyweights Zwift and Wahoo has left Australian manufacturer JetBlack with a significantly reduced international market for its latest smart trainer. However, JetBlack founder and managing director, Tony Simmonds, remains optimistic the Australian and export markets that remain open for its JetBlack Volt V2 trainer…
Cycling Economy Report Offering Update on Value of Industry
Canberra, ACT The second instalment of a national report on the state of Australia’s bike and scooter sector will be officially released at a cycling industry awards function in Canberra this month. The second Australian Cycling and eScooter Economy Report will provide critical data to all governments on the size and importance of the bicycle…
Staff-Starved Store Finds Solution as Shop With No Bikes
Geraldton, WA Northern WA bike store owner Leighton Thomas has received plenty of puzzled expressions in recent weeks, as he outlined plans to reinvent his business as a “bike store with no bikes”. “I’ve never stumped so many people before,” according to the industry veteran of 33 years, including stints as some of bicycle retail’s…
How’s Business – October 2023
Welcome to How’s Business, brought to you by Knog – Australian designed and lighting up the world. Even though it’s one of the first things dealers talk to me about, it has been six months since we last specifically asked our How’s Business participants about the ‘d’ word … discounting. So for this month’s follow-up…
Inside Australia’s Largest New Bike Shop
Lilydale, Victoria The Latz Report recently wrote about Yarra Valley Cycles purchasing a 1,500 square metre premises to be transformed into one of Australia’s largest bike shops. On 13th September, we had the chance to visit the almost completed store to take photos and interview co-owner Ash Swann. Lilydale is 42km east of the Melbourne…
How to Sell Nearly $1 Million in Apparel Annually
Brookvale, NSW Back in early 2021, I phoned Sticky Bottle as part of our monthly How’s Business column, in which we speak to bike shop owners and managers across Australia and NZ. As you can see in that column, owner Justin Roscoe made the rare revelation that they sold a lot of cycling apparel through…
Remodelled Reid Cycles Rolls out Latest Electric Offerings
Frankfurt, Germany A remodelled Reid Cycles was on display at Eurobike 2023, including the Australian brand’s escalating shift into e-bikes and e-scooters. Reid Cycles founder James Reid, group CEO Rob Akam and the Reid team used the Frankfurt trade show to unveil several new e-bike and e-scooter models, including the company’s first folding compact e-cargo…