Sight Set
Explaining The Demise Of The Humble Bike Shop
Around 15 years ago there was practically a bicycle shop in every town and village, if not two. Nowadays however a great many have shut their doors and ceased trading, leaving only the bigger companies and shops that sell a range of products including surfboards and kitesurfing as well as bikes. So where did it all go wrong for local bike shops and is there any hope for them yet? Lets take a look at a few factors.
Greater number of cars. Compared to a century ago, the number of cars around has obviously increased dramatically. Not only do more people own a car but people are choosing to use them more. Does this mean that people are using bikes less though. Halfords, a large chain of shops in the UK that serves both car and bike owners have stated that over the past 10 years there has been a decrease of 10% in the number of commuter, second hand bikes and also new mountain bikes bought. Bike sales actually increased for previous year however, possibly as a result of people cutting back on their transport costs right now and being more conscious about the environment.
Internet Shopping. More and more people as using the Internet to buy things. Bicycles may not have seen the most dramatic shift to internet sales as most people like to try before they buy, but there has still been movement in buying methods. According to the top bike retailer in the UK, sales on the internet account for 10% more of the total sales each year since 2000.
Classifieds websites. Classifieds sites such as Ebay and Craigs List have really grown in the last 5 years and are yet another point in the equation. Once upon a time people would take their unwanted bikes to the local bike shop and either sell it or trade it in for a new one. These days you can post your bike on advert sites and get responses within hours sometimes. There are now even sites set up specifically for advertising surfboards, kitesurfing gear and mountain bikes etc, such as Extreme Sports Trader and Bike Magic
Miley Cyrus – See You Again. (Rock in Rio, Madrid 2010)