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Another one gone to the evil empire!
https://cyclingindustry.news/go-outdoors-parent-jd-sports-buys-bicycle-retailer-wheelbase/
Wonder how it will impact the shop in Staveley.
In terms of evilness I don't think JD Sports are anywhere close to Sports Direct.
In terms of evilness I don’t think JD Sports are anywhere close to Sports Direct.
+1
Tiso, which is part of the same group is great.
I wonder if they'll re-brand wheelbase to Alpine Bikes?
I wonder if they’ll re-brand wheelbase to Alpine Bikes?
Wheelbase is a better name IMO.
In terms of evilness I don’t think JD Sports are anywhere close to Sports Direct.
Do you know what I think I can never quite remember the difference between JD, JJB and Sports Direct. 🙂
Do you know what I think I can never quite remember the difference between JD, JJB and Sports Direct
It depends on the amount of underpants the "Customer" showns in each shop.....
I don’t think there’s anything particularly evil about JD Sports. It’s a massive employer around here, where it’s head office is, and is pretty well thought of as a good company to work for.
I think you may be getting mixed up with the two-trackies-for-a-tenner bloke. JD Sports is a very different business to Sports Direct
I've worked for JD Sports. You wouldn't want to.
JD Sports is a very different business to Sports Direct
A lot more successful as well.
JD, JJB and Sports Direct
JD good to visit if you want training / relatively safe space in which to hang around with juvenile gangs. Is JJB even still a thing?
This Wheelbase acquisition seems odd - "bicycle retail giant Wheelbase...Wheelbase has physical retail branches in Staveley, Darlington and Ilkley. The bicycle retailer has around 45 employees". Not exactly giant.
Still I wish them all the best and I've used the shop in Staveley a few times when riding in SE Lakes (along with the cafe, bakery, and ahem brewery).
This Wheelbase acquisition seems odd – “bicycle retail giant Wheelbase…Wheelbase has physical retail branches in Staveley, Darlington and Ilkley. The bicycle retailer has around 45 employees”. Not exactly giant.
Well-regarded brand, their portfolio is missing a mid to high end cycling retailer. We could see a few more Wheelbases popping up if JD is looking to expand into this sector.
My daughter was told on Saturday! looks like they are going for a specialist bike retailer in stores of Go Outdoors thats my guess 😉
Rich
So does this reduce choice overall or improve the long term viability of bricks and mortar bike shops in the U.K.?
They Purchased Tiso / Alpine bikes a while back and I can’t comment on Tiso as I wouldn’t shop there (hillwalking isn’t my thing) but Alpine Bikes is a steaming turd of a shop these days.
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frogstomp
Full MemberLeisure Lakes Bikes too now
Well done to Mark - Leisure Lakes has been my LBS since they used to be on Wash Lane. I used to race their winter series at Tarleton in the 90's.
I can't think of a single takeover that has improved customer service or pricing when Vulture Capitalists or generic sports companies acquire smaller specialist bike retailers.
The big companies are there for the share holder profit not the customer.
Tis the way of the UK at the moment though. Morrisons is my local supermarket and I begrudge putting profit into a US company now they've been taken over.
Looking forward to chlorinated chicken soon!
Well-regarded brand, their portfolio is missing a mid to high end cycling retailer. We could see a few more Wheelbases popping up if JD is looking to expand into this sector.
Given the number of times that Wheelbase in Staveley has had to call in administrators over the years, having someone with some more financial clout behind them might be a good thing.
Was in there last weekend when I was in the area for the Kendal Mountain Festival. There's easily £1m+ of bikes on display.
I can’t think of a single takeover that has improved customer service or pricing when Vulture Capitalists or generic sports companies acquire smaller specialist bike retailers.
The big companies are there for the share holder profit not the customer.
I think thats probably a bit doom-laden and overly simplistic, to be honest
Just by chance I've had quite a bit to do with JD recently. Living around here, they're difficult to avoid. As i mentioned in an earlier post, they're head office is down the road and the company is well regarded
What I wasn't aware of was the scale of their recent expansion. It's truly staggering. They're now absolutely massive! In a time when we're told the high street is dying on its arse they've been quietly opening a shop every other week. Not just in this country, but all over the world. Their profits were up 65% last year. It appears to be a very well run business.
I get the Leisure Lakes purchase as they're both family run businesses, started in the north that have gradually grown, so that would seem like a good fit.
If you've seen their christmas TV ad, which has been shown in prime time slots and features lots of footballers you will have heard of and lots of rappers who you haven't, they're clearly not shy of chucking vast sums of money at marketing
If I was working for a business that had just been bought out by them I'd be feeling pretty optimistic for the future. They certainly don't seem to **** about! If I was Wiggle or CRC then I'd be worried, because seeing first hand how they work, thats who'll they'll have in their sites, and they won't have made these purchases without a plan. If I was Evans then I'd be very, very worried indeed because they seem to have a pathological hatred of Mike Ashley, Sports Direct and everything about his business model.
I'd imagine they'll be planning on ploughing money into it and taking on the big boys, rather than asset stripping, closing shops or making redundancies.
Surely having another big player as serious competition is a good thing, right?
*awaits flaming by the forum lefties* 😀
I guess binners has used his black and yellow colouring pencils a lot this week.
You really don't know just how right you are 😀
The big companies are there for the share holder profit not the customer.
Big companies need customers to make shareholders profits....
What I heard from a visit to George Fisher is that the issue is the buyers constructing the range of what shops stock so larger sizes of boots etc now harder for them to source etc
If you are buying successful niche businesses you'd be daft to change their USP, if they aren't successful you'd be daft to keep doing the same
JD sports are majority owned by the Pentland group who are a private company and not a PLC, so no shareholders to appease.
A quick google tells me the former chairperson was in the top 10 of UK tax payers.
I wonder if they are looking at Ribble
Long term brand with medium impact. Some one sticks loads of money and it seems to have exploded in terms of how big they are. I'm not a customer but they seem to be well regarded? Perhaps with a nod towards the way Alpkit do things. Retailers in key locations adding value to bikes over what they would sell for if they were online only
Go Outdoors which is part of the group kind of annoys me. But for no particularly good reason. They did bring us the Bossnut which seems to have been a boost to people getting into the sprt with a good FS on a budget
Can't believe how badly Evans has been runied. Ordered two of these
https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/pinnacle/bgrd-3-derailleur-hanger-972116
No they don't fit the bikes listed