Explaining The Demise Of The Humble Bike Shop

Going back 15 years you would have found 2-3 bike shops within a 5 mile radius. 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 as well as bikes. So why is it that independent cycle shops are having such a hard time and is there any chance of them recovering? 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. More people are not only buying cars but also using their cars a lot 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 and also mountain bikes purchased. This year just gone however has actually seen the first rise in bike purchases, which maybe a result of financial strain on car owners right now.

Internet Shopping. An increasing amount of product sales are taking place online every day. Even though bikes are classic items that people like to try out first, the amount that are being sold online continues to increase every year. According to a leading online retailer, internet bicucle sales have claimed 5% more of the total market share each year for the last 5.

Trading internet Sites. The growth and prominence of classifieds sites such as Craig's List is another factor to consider. People used to have take their bikes down to the local bicycle shop if they wanted to shift it. You can now just upload a picture and description onto a trading website and wait for the floods of inquiries. There are now even sites set up specifically for buying and selling used surfboard, kitesurfing gear and mountain bikes etc, such as Extreme Sports Trader and Bike Magic

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