Thursday, 13 February 2025
News

Bob Elliot: “Dealer and distributor relationships are more important than ever”

Some business truisms cut through even when conditions have been rough. Bob Elliot Company Director Paul Elliot talks trade relationships, own brand development and the positives ahead for the industry…

The cycle market has had something of a shake up in the past 18 months, to understate matters, and maybe we’d be forgiven for thinking change is the new normal. As ever though, the industry has some straight-talking, no-nonsense voices that provide some calm common sense, including Bob Elliot Company Director Paul Elliot, who points out that, actually, some things never change: “Dealer and distributor relationships are more important than ever in my opinion. It isn’t necessarily about the growth through hard times, but just a chat and a connection to make everybody feel positive and supported.”

Positive thoughts may have been thin on the ground of late, but Paul has plenty of them: “Let’s not forget, the short-term forecast is great but the medium to long-term forecasts are even better. Following on from Covid there are more cyclists, improved infrastructure and more established retailers looking to the future.

“There appears to be a bottleneck remaining on overstock especially with bikes but it is felt that once that improves retailers will be in a much stronger position.”

With relationships centre stage for the Bob Elliot business, the team has been putting in the hard work and expending shoe leather to get face-to-face honest feedback and views from those on the retail front line. Paul explains: “I have been visiting many stores in the last couple of years with my colleague Stacey, to further educate ourselves on what is
happening on the shop floor after I’ve been prominently office-based and it has been a fantastic learning curve. Putting faces to names I have spoken to for such a long time has been a great experience.”

That eagerness to listen also sees the firm keeping supplier relationships firmly prioritised too, not least with trips to the likes of this year’s Taipei Cycle Show: “Seeing our partners in the Far East is extremely important and further allows us to connect all the pieces.”

New suppliers locked down

Speaking of suppliers, ABUS is one of the latest brands to come under the stewardship of Bob Elliot, which is now sharing trade distribution responsibilities with Upgrade Bikes. Paul says: “As we continue our own growth we have been delighted to introduce ABUS locks and helmets to our range. ABUS have been renowned for their phenomenal quality
with their locks for many years and are well established.

“Our team recently visited a few of their factories in Germany and were blown away by the professionalism, attention to detail and quality of their production facilities. Their testing goes above and beyond what we could have imagined. Their helmets complement the locks in exactly the same way. A high-end finish on all models, with top end road being made in Italy to ensure better availability and sustainability.

“We have initially launched a “Phase 1” range but are receiving market feedback as we prepare a Phase 2 launch of new products. Their unique Keyed Alike feature for higher-end locks allow a one-key solution for users with many ABUS locks. Dealers can contact us for more information on this.”

Building ranges and skillsets

Bob Elliot’s brand mix has grown over the years to include own-developed labels like KX Wheels and KranX. Expanding into own brands has seen the business grow its skillsets and facilities in production but – true to form – the dealer has been kept dealers close during development, particularly with Kranx: “KX Wheels and KranX are two brands produced and maintained by us. We developed both just prior to Covid and they are going from strength-to-strength. Changes within the industry in recent times have only accelerated
their popularity and demand is increasing each season.

“KX Wheels are developed and produced in-house and have been ranged to suit every workshop. Componentry is brought in from all over the world to maintain a high quality,
consistent production using wheelbuilding skillset, lacing machines and state-of-the-art robots to finish our wheels to precise tolerances every time. Our range is developing all the time and we will be introducing junior sizes and boost tubeless options in 2024.

“KranX is our own-brand which has been developed for and with the IBD. Using reputable manufacturers and partners we now have over 300 SKUs available in the collection with the most recent additions across luggage and pedal sectors. We use consistent packing which helps store present the brand effectively and now offer a wide range of POS for stockists.

“These are two important brands for our business. They are under our control and allows us to work much more closely with stores for their development.”

Both those brands have played into one of Bob Elliot’s strengths, of being strong on workshop and servicing brands. With that area of the market a consistent performer for many bike shops, that has seemed like a particularly savvy line of focus.

“Workshop and servicing is an area where we are particularly strong,” agrees Paul. “We have some fantastic brands in this sector and with more stores putting focus here we are perfectly placed to offer a wide range of solutions.

“The aforementioned KranX and KX Wheels are relevant here but there are a wide range of other brands that deliver fantastic margin and availability. To name a few we are looking at Clarks cables, Schwalbe & Continental tyres and tubes, Blub & Weldtite cleaners and lubes, Cema bearings, Impac entry-level tubes, SunRace cassettes & componentry.”

The positive firm has an open door when it comes to building on its trade relationships – and forging a few new ones too. Paul concludes: “We are looking to grow our partnerships with stores and chains in 2024 and with more opportunity around for supply it would be great to hear from new customers.

CONTACT…
e [email protected]
w www.bob-elliot.co.uk