Cycle Republic closing...?

Cycle Republic closing...?

Author
Discussion

Macron

Original Poster:

10,493 posts

172 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2020
quotequote all
Just had an email on this from them, weird, Halfords offshoot, seemed to be doing OK too, esp in this environment... All physical stores to close.

ETA, link:

https://www.cyclerepublic.com/covid-19

"On the 24th of April 2020, our doors will close for the final time, for any outstanding queries relating to Cycle Republic stores visit this page."

Edited by Macron on Tuesday 2nd June 17:04

simonpieman

366 posts

192 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2020
quotequote all
The physical stores closed on 15 March. Online closing on 8 June. Sad really. The Birmingham store was good- staff really friendly and knowledgeable. Because of lock down, I never had a chance to pop in and wish the staff well.

Meeten-5dulx

2,740 posts

62 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2020
quotequote all
Being sold to a group that do scooters I think.

Funny how the Halfords store is given bad press, but Cycle Republic is part of the same company, but branded different.

anonymous-user

60 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2020
quotequote all
People slag off Sport direct yet Go Outdoors makes some of the best rated bikes out there. People can be idiots.

Zigster

1,680 posts

150 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2020
quotequote all
simonpieman said:
The physical stores closed on 15 March. Online closing on 8 June. Sad really. The Birmingham store was good- staff really friendly and knowledgeable. Because of lock down, I never had a chance to pop in and wish the staff well.
Same experience with the Fenchurch Street branch. I went in fairly regularly and they were helpful and competent, more so than at the Evans nearby. I guess they never really got traction with their target market of “proper” cyclists because of their association with Halfords.

anonymous-user

60 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2020
quotequote all
The Spruce Goose said:
People slag off Sport direct yet Go Outdoors makes some of the best rated bikes out there. People can be idiots.
What has sports direct got to do with Go Outdoors?

Wacky Racer

38,806 posts

253 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2020
quotequote all
JPJPJP said:
The Spruce Goose said:
People slag off Sport direct yet Go Outdoors makes some of the best rated bikes out there. People can be idiots.
What has sports direct got to do with Go Outdoors?
JD Sports bought Go Outdoors in 2016 for £112m.

ukbabz

1,589 posts

132 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2020
quotequote all
Wacky Racer said:
JD Sports bought Go Outdoors in 2016 for £112m.
What's Mike Ashley got to do with JD Sports?

anonymous-user

60 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2020
quotequote all
Wacky Racer said:
JD Sports bought Go Outdoors in 2016 for £112m.
mea culpa

Usget

5,426 posts

217 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2020
quotequote all
Meeten-5dulx said:
Being sold to a group that do scooters I think.

Funny how the Halfords store is given bad press, but Cycle Republic is part of the same company, but branded different.
Cycle Republic was a separate chain of stores though with a very different operating model to Halfords. They ran their own training and their own recruitment. Our local one was staffed by knowledgable, friendly, enthusiastic bike folks. It's a real loss. Basically Halfords have stuffed it up.

Dermot O'Logical

2,769 posts

135 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2020
quotequote all
I bought my Brompton from the Southampton branch of Cycle Republic last year, and found the staff to be knowledgeable and helpful.

It's a shame that they're closing, and surprising given the recent underlying movement towards cycling to work instead of using disease-riddled public transport.

anonymous-user

60 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2020
quotequote all
The Spruce Goose said:
mea culpa
Sports Direct does have a cycle brand (in addition to Evans Cycles) Muddy Fox


Ziplobb

1,404 posts

290 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2020
quotequote all
I bought my Scott E mountain bike from the store in Southampton last year , really helpful bunch of people as i had travelled over from th IoW but the deal I got with dicount and interest free credit : I run a shop and I could not understand how they could do the deal - now I know why they simply were not making enough cash out of every sale.

hoegaardenruls

1,222 posts

138 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2020
quotequote all
My one and only experience of their online operation was bad enough that I never considered using it again. If it wasn't for a new customer discount I would have walked away, and the order (click and collect) went to the wrong address

The physical stores were actually decent, and almost bought a bike from one of them..

PushedDover

5,888 posts

59 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2020
quotequote all
JPJPJP said:
The Spruce Goose said:
mea culpa
Sports Direct does have a cycle brand (in addition to Evans Cycles) Muddy Fox
Doesn't surprise.
Usual MO.

They / he buy a Brand 'we' all recognise wistfully from yesteryear that was a decent product line - slap that brand badge on any chinese / cambodian tat and crap hoping 'we' want to believe in the re-emergence.
See Karrimor, Reebok, Slazenger, Dunlop, Lonsdale etc.