3T goes dealer direct in UK and Ireland

3T is to begin selling directly to the UK and Ireland’s independent bike dealers, with supply shipped directly from the Italian warehouse.

The move quickly follows a similar decision to sell into the Italian market directly and builds upon a trend of brands deciding to remove distribution partners, very often due to pressures on margins at each level of the chain. CI.N is currently tracking a number of other brands that look set to make similar announcements in the near future.

3T said in a statement “After a successful collaboration with Saddleback as our UK distributor, we have mutually agreed that the best way to grow 3T further in the UK and Irish market is by working directly with dealers. This direct relationship makes 3T bikes more competitive while at the same time improving the margin and offering full factory support for the UK and Irish dealers.”

Arguably the move has been coming, with Canadian stores serviced directly since 2018, as well as more recently opting to do the same for the U.S. market and other European territories.

“I am very grateful the way Saddleback built the 3T brand name into the UK and Irish retailers over the last years,” said René Wiertz, co-owner of 3T. “They have built a strong foundation on which we can further grow our bike business.”

Richard Mardle, Brand Manager at Saddleback said “It has been a pleasure to work with the 3T team and we are proud of what we have accomplished in the UK and Irish market over the last years. We wish 3T a lot of success for the future in working directly with the dealer network.”

René Wiertz continued: “‘We are looking to build a very selective network of around 25-30 3T Experience Centers throughout the territory.”

Shops interested in becoming one of those locations can contact Wiertz directly by email here.