Norfolk bike shops see drop in sales after Covid boom

With public transport a no-go and many of us experiencing a sudden surplus of free time, the Covid years saw an explosion in the number of people taking up cycling.

This was great news for bike retailers, with some reporting a tenfold increase in sales.

Cyclists trial bikes at Hethel-based Vires Velos open day (Image: Vires Velos)

Soren, owner of Soren’s Cycles in Drayton Wood Road, Norwich, said it was the busiest he’d been since opening the shop in 1994.

“I was arriving to work every morning to a queue of people. It was extraordinary.”

But, he said, the “golden era” was short-lived.

“We went from the best year ever to the worst I’ve ever seen since starting the business.

“The enthusiasm for cycling has gone, people are returning to their cars, and now we’re all struggling.”

Three years on, sales of bikes have fallen by almost a quarter from the previous year, according to the Bicycle Association, leaving optimistic retailers that hoped the boom would continue scrambling to shift excess stock.

READ MORE: Norfolk coast named among the UK's best cycling spots

"Worst possible circumstances"

John Bailey, MD of Vires Velo in Hethel, said: “It’s been the worst possible set of circumstances.

John Bailey, MD of Vires Velo in Hethel, said sales have plummeted since the pandemic (Image: Vires Velos)

“When demand was high, manufacturers couldn’t keep up because Covid closed the factories.

“Then, distributors started overordering to compensate.

“Now we have the stock demand has dropped, so we’re seeing shops with mountains of bikes they can’t sell.

“We’re seeing a lot of smaller distributors going under, and the high street retailers are feeling the pain.”

The issue of excess stock has been exacerbated by manufacturers enforcing minimum order rules, according to Andy Panks, of A P Cycles in Norwich.

Andy Panks, of A P Cycles in Norwich, said bike repairs are keeping shops in business (Image: Andy Panks)

He said: “Some bike brands have dealership requirements, meaning that if you sign up to be a dealer of a brand of bike, you’re obligated to take a certain number of the bikes into stock over the course of the year.

“So even if you still have unsold stock remaining, you have to take more to carry on as an authorised dealer.

“That’s putting them into a tricky situation because they’re struggling to sell the ones they already have, as most people that were going to get a bike did it during the Covid boom.”

“A confused market”

So how long will this slump last?

According to Mr Bailey, the answer is unclear.

Cyclists trial bikes at Hethel-based Vires Velos open day (Image: Vires Velos)

He said: “We need to understand what normalised levels are going to be, but it’s incredibly hard to do that at the moment.

“We’ve had two sizeable events with the pandemic, and now the cost-of-living crisis, and that’s confused the market.

“It’s hard to identify buying patterns, so future sales are hard to forecast. It’s all over the place.

“Last year my most successful month was November, which is unheard of. I’m wary of making predictions.”

However other retailers, like Soren, believe the future of brick-and-mortar shops is obvious.

He said: “Before the pandemic we were already seeing sales of parts and accessories falling off because of online shopping.

“It’s frustrating because it’s not even a price thing. Often online retailers are charging the same as independent shops.

“But people are in the habit of turning to Amazon whenever they need something.”

Hethel based Vires Velos noticed a boom in sales over the pandemic, but said its dropped off this year (Image: Vires Velos)

And while Mr Panks’ predictions for sales are similarly bleak, he thinks bike repairs could save the industry.

He said: “The service and repair side of the trade is built on hard-earned reputation and quality of work.

“During the pandemic, I was inundated with work because I stayed open while the likes of Halfords and Evans closed.

“Since then I’ve found those same customers have stuck with me, and I’m still booking on average a month in advance.”