Moving premises? One bike shop owner has the do’s and don’ts

Moving a business premises is never without a minefield of unforeseen circumstances. Having just undertaken the arduous task, Ben Thomson of SW Bicycle Company has some tips to share for anyone facing a move…

Do these things!

• Take your old alarm with you. It will save money and time.
• Take as much of the security grills [if they’re yours] with you as well. Ben says “I was quoted £7,500 to fit out the new shop with security equipment. Some thought was put into this and much of the equipment ended up being reused.”
• Talk to your friends, they may help out. In speaking about the move Ben gained help from unexpected places. He says “A guy from my cricket team even helped with painting. Another friend who I used to ride with handled the legal side and wouldn’t take a dime.”
• Get the workshop up and running first to keep a trickle of income. “I set up one of my workshops first, so we had a mechanic working from word go. It’s a good source of income as people won’t know your business and we had to take nine jobs that we hadn’t completed before the move,” he says.
• Make sure vital spares are last on and first off the truck to limit downtime.
• Ensure suppliers have your new address and delete the old one.
• Get onto utility firms in advance, assuming there will be delays in service switches. Ben warns especially on phone and wi-fi companies as having long lead times for action.
• Speak with neighbouring businesses upon arrival, first to say hello and secondly to borrow their wi-fi until the aforementioned companies connect you.

Don’t do these things

• Forget that you’ll need to allocate budget for fresh signage.
• Forget to notify your insurers in advance of the move, negotiating new terms in the process.
• Assume that any removal firm will do. “Movers can be a nightmare, so get references,” says Ben, who used a local firm that he says had to be monitored as they “threw stock around”.

Prepare

• To work for weeks on end, likely without a break. “I would compare it to when my children were born,” Ben says.

Looking for more tips on what to do and what not to do when opening a bike shop? We’ve plenty more insight from those in the trade who have done it right here.

Have tips of your own to add? Let the Editor know by email here and we’ll build this article further!