P&H motorcycles in Crawley gone!

[doogalman]

Seems P&H motorcycles in Crawley has possibly now closed down. Mixed reports about the premises being taken over by Superbike factory.

Edited to avoid confusion!!

Edited by doogalman on Monday 21st October 17:56

[Marquezs Stabilisers]

Wow, but does figure with various brands leaving them recently. I remember they used to be huge with massive ads in MCN

[rev-erend]

That is a shock. Wow.

Seems to be quite a few big sellers either going bust or just stopping trading.

[trickywoo]

Their last set of accounts (Dec 2023) showed a turnover of £9.2m and cost of sales £8.4m. The previous year was £9.2m & £8.2m.

For some reason the admin expenses increased from £682k in 2022 to £868k in 2023 leading to a loss.

They made an operating profit of £350k in 2022 and a loss of £60k in 2023.

Going back a few years nothing looks very different.

Either 2024 has been dire or the owners have just decided to pack up.

I heard from KTM themselves that P&H cancelled the contract.

There is a massive void of franchised dealers in the area now as J W Groombridge also closed recently. I think Laguna in Maidstone is the only option without going into London.

[Biker 1]

Oh FFS! So the recent rumours were true....
Their website is still up with no mention of closure. All VERY annoying as I'll have to travel much further to get my Kwak serviced or if any warranty issues crop up.

[doogalman]

trickywoo said:

Their last set of accounts (Dec 2023) showed a turnover of £9.2m and cost of sales £8.4m. The previous year was £9.2m & £8.2m.

For some reason the admin expenses increased from £682k in 2022 to £868k in 2023 leading to a loss.

They made an operating profit of £350k in 2022 and a loss of £60k in 2023.

Going back a few years nothing looks very different.

Either 2024 has been dire or the owners have just decided to pack up.

I heard from KTM themselves that P&H cancelled the contract.

There is a massive void of franchised dealers in the area now as J W Groombridge also closed recently. I think Laguna in Maidstone is the only option without going into London.

Seems to be a popular thing with the franchised dealers at the moment struggling. Can’t imagine the sold many Norton/MV/CF bikes since loosing Ducati. That’s a big hole to bridge. The big manufacturers really do seem to want blood out of stores now to setup or refit. Let alone be stand alone solus status. KTM with their cam issues must have dented sales also.

[doogalman]

Biker 1 said:

Oh FFS! So the recent rumours were true....
Their website is still up with no mention of closure. All VERY annoying as I'll have to travel much further to get my Kwak serviced or if any warranty issues crop up.

I always find it very poor show that stuff like this isn’t updated. They used to heavily advertise bikes online so someone there knows how to use the website.

[pasmith73]

Is the store actually closed now?

[doogalman]

pasmith73 said:

Is the store actually closed now?

I believe so from what I’ve heard yes. May be activity inside though.

[lancslad58]

doogalman said:

pasmith73 said:

Is the store actually closed now?

I believe so from what I’ve heard yes. May be activity inside though.

Some comments on the Ducati forum plus the anouncment of a new Ducati dealership in Hailsham.

https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/p-h-no-longe...

[Biker 1]

lancslad58 said:

Some comments on the Ducati forum plus the anouncment of a new Ducati dealership in Hailsham.

https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/p-h-no-longe...

A step in the right direction - I wonder if any of the Japanese marques will do something similar?

[ImbackYo]

I was drinking with 3 of their employees on Friday evening, they didn't seem to be hiding anything or worried. Perhaps they didn't know either. Sad times. I remember when they were in the town centre in the 90s upstairs in a little room above some shops.

[Bob_Defly]

Biker 1 said:

A step in the right direction - I wonder if any of the Japanese marques will do something similar?

What do you mean, small one brand dealership?

[lazybike]

Last Ducati dealers I was in had a harley feel to it, loads of expensive bikes and clothing. One make glass boxes seem to be the rage.

[Biker 1]

Bob_Defly said:

What do you mean, small one brand dealership?

P&H were the closest multi franchise dealer to me. Other options are BMW, Harley & now Ducati. If the multi franchise model is not working, then surely Kwak, Yamaha etc will want to try something else?
It seems absurd that there is so little coverage in this part of the world.

[991TS]

Yeah I had a call from them cancelling my first service booking for my Africa Twin. Shame as always seemed busy in there and they seemed to be selling lots of bikes. Had my KTM serviced there before for years. Right pain for servicing now will have to go to Chiswick. Would have probably bought another brand that I could get serviced more easily like BMW if I thought this might happen. Hope someone buys it

[cliffords]

I went past it today in the car . Didn't really notice anything, just glanced but there were bikes outside.
It was pouring with rain and I thought tough day for bikes .

[mikey_b]

cliffords said:

I went past it today in the car . Didn't really notice anything, just glanced but there were bikes outside.
It was pouring with rain and I thought tough day for bikes .

According to the link to the Ducati forum posted above, the P&H site hasn't shut entirely and permanently, just that it's been bought by Superbike Factory and is closed for refit and rebranding. Presumably, therefore, it will be reopening in some form before long - this would explain the bikes parked outside seen yesterday.

[Biker9090]

mikey_b said:

this would explain the bikes parked outside seen yesterday.

Yeah, Superbike Factory do tend to keep them in stty conditions.

[biker2024]

doogalman said:

Seems P&H motorcycles in Crawley has now closed down. Mixed reports about the premises being taken over by Superbike factory.

They are not closed and stop spreading gossip