Evans Cycles X Rapha: An unlikely retail partnership?

Evans Cycles, the UK’s largest bike retailer, has partnered with premium cycling brand Rapha, with the retailer introducing the Rapha Core range of apparel across its 65 retail store business, as well as through the Evans Cycles website.

For the first time, a comprehensive selection from the Rapha Core range will be available from Evans Cycles, both online and in stores around the country, including lightweight, long sleeve and short sleeve jerseys, gilets, commuter and rain jackets, padded shorts, bib shorts and bib tights, plus a selection of accessories including bottles, socks and mitts.

Russell Merry, Managing Director at Evans Cycles, said: “As a retailer, our goal has always been to provide cyclists with access to the very best products that elevates their performance and helps them ‘enjoy the ride. When it comes to premium cycling apparel, welcoming Rapha into our family of brands aligns with our continuous drive to advance our customer offering and be known as home of the world’s best cycling brands.”

Caroline Crosswell, COO at Rapha, shared her thoughts on the partnership, stating: “We seek to work with partners who share our obsession with cycling and actively promote the many benefits that a life lived by bike brings. Collaborating with Evans Cycles allows Rapha to bring our distinctive designs and World Tour tested technologies to a broader audience, supporting even more cyclists who are looking for the best in performance wear to reach their riding goals.”

Reviewing the partnership

Whilst the Evans partnership does make sense in the context of Rapha’s stated mission – to ‘inspire people to live life by bike’ – the wider question is, ‘what cost will this move have for the brand’s long term, premium priced, ultra desirable (to some) brand image?’

For Rapha, recognised by many as the original fashion forward, brand focused, cycling apparel innovator, the risk with such a partnership is simple: Alienating a sizeable number of brand fans for whom Rapha is built around a ‘premium’ brand story, and accompanying premium pricing model.

Potentially, the UK is the last major Rapha market to make this play, where the REI partnership in the USA raised long term brand fan eyebrows, as did a similar move with a German sports retail specialist. In the brand’s defence, it survived a stint on Wiggle, and, more recently, has featured on SportsPursuit.

For luxury and lifestyle brands there is, undeniably, a life cycle; one which treads a fine line between niche and desirable Vs (over)popular, losing its original identity, and, in doing so, losing its premium price paying brand advocates. Only time will tell what impact Rapha X Evans Cycles has on the Rapha X Palace style collaborations.

Putting to one side all brand perception, and ascribed brand value, the opportunity to sell into a 65 store retail group would never be easy to pass up. Does the move reflect short term thinking; a pragmatic business decision made in a tough marketplace? A recent Bicycle Association report highlights that, “apparel has been hard hit, down 15% in value in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year”. Maybe this is a driver for Rapha, introducing the Core range into a volume retail business?

Of Evans Cycles, the retailer was acquired in 2018 by the Frasers Group, which today specialises in Sports, Premium and Luxury market segments. The Group is active in multiple countries, with a stated vision to build the planet’s most admired and compelling brand ecosystem.

Rapha Core is available online from Evans Cycles today, with the range already rolling out to their 65 nationwide stores.