IBDs look ahead to Local Bike Shop Day 2019

The Association of Cycle Traders (ACT) and Dan Jones have set the date for 2019’s Local Bike Shop Day. The ACT looks at two independent bike shops that took part in the debut event in 2018…

Local Bike Shop Day – 4th May 2019 – is the one day a year when independent bike shops across the UK can come together to celebrate their unique culture. It’s the day for bike shops to showcase their passion, knowledge and personalised exclusive service.

Over 200 IBDs have signed up since the launch in early February. With Local Bike Shop Day (LBSD) being in its second year, The Association of Cycle Traders (ACT) looks at two indie bike shops that took part in last year’s inaugural day and what they have in store for this year.

Belhaven Bikes, a bike shop based in Dunbar, took part is LBSD 2018 with the sole purpose of raising awareness as a collective, building upon the momentum of being kept ‘front of mind’. Belhaven Bikes was attracted to LBSD 2018 as it gave smaller, independent stores the chance to highlight what set them apart from the bigger, corporate retailers. In 2018, they offered coffee and cake welcoming in the community giving them the chance to win a bike service, e-bike test rides and educating the locals on the new family-friendly bikepacking route that had just launched in the county.

The best thing about LBSD for Belhaven Bikes was the interaction and positivity from customers and the cycle industry collectively. This year, they are looking to add in a demo day and build upon the momentum from last year to make this year even more successful.

Mandy Cairns Ford, Owner of Belhaven Bikes, says: “The opportunity is there for more shops, IBD-focused manufacturers, distributors, organisations and customers to get involved for 2019 and beyond.”

South Downs Bikes, who opened their doors 14 years ago, almost missed out on LBSD 2018 which gave them little time to organise anything. For them, LBSD 2019 gives them a second chance to harness the day’s potential. Martin Richardson, owner of South Dows Bikes, views bike shop owners as frightened of each other and sees LBSD 2019 as a way for bike shops to come together in an effective way. For him, online trading is here to stay no matter what sector you sit within, but those friendly and welcoming faces in bike shops coupled with service offer more than cheap prices.

Belhaven Bikes and South Downs Bikes will be taking part in this year’s LBSD along with many other IBDs across the UK. There’s only one Local Bike Shop Day a year, so let’s make it work together! Now you’re hopefully inspired, make sure you sign up now on the ACT’s site: www.cycleassociation.uk/bike-shop-day.

All bike shops involved in this year’s LBSD will have access to a promotional pack which includes; a high resolution LBSD logo, poster, press release to spread to word around the local communities and guidance for the day. Spread the word and show your support in celebrating independent bike shops using the hashtag #supportyourlocalbikeshop.