BikeBiz profiles Devon cycle retailer Simply the Bike

Local bike dealer reaches out into community

Bike business has been better than expected, cycle dealer Simply the Bike has told BikeBiz.

The firm said: "Despite the gloom of the recession, business has turned out to be much better than we anticipated. This is due, in part, to people either buying new bikes or getting older bikes repaired as they see cycling as a more economical way to travel. Customer numbers have been reasonably consistent, with May being our best this year."

The retailer puts that success down to a range of factors, including focusing on its customer base and then actively going out to meet them: "We’ve ensured that we are really clear on the customer type we want to appeal to and that we stock the bikes and accessories appropriate for them. This helped us identify what stock we don’t want to hold in the shop, allowing us to reduce inventory cost.

"Once we were clear on our customer base, we proactively went out and met them."

Simply the Bike also takes part in promoting cycle safety to local schools. To read the full profile, click here.

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