Specialized plan experience centre in the home town of Rapha NA Head Office

Specialized plans to open a new experience centre in Bentonville, home town of the Rapha North America Head Office, and has recently purchased an independent bike shop in Fayetteville, so reports local media.

Citing a press release from the brand, a local newspaper indicates that the new experience centre will open this autumn, with the article highlighting that this will becoming the third company-owned experience centre the brand owns and runs, with facilities in Boulder, Colorado and Santa Cruz, California.

Another media source confirms the experience centre will occupy approximately 4,200 square feet on the first floor of a 230,000-square-foot mixed-use building currently under construction, described as being designed to create a dual use local community hub.

“We’ve designed the Bentonville space as a comfortable place to connect before and after your time on the trails,” Jennifer Gibbons, the company’s manager of retail services, said in the release. “Take a bike out for an incredible ride, then come back and relax with friends, study the map wall to plan your next adventure, or hang out and chat with our local experts. You can even take a post-ride shower and enjoy a coffee.”

“While cycling is what attracted us to Bentonville, it’s the welcoming, passionate people that made us believe we had to be there permanently,” said Sam Benedict, the company’s mountain bike category leader. “The trail network is unlike anything I’ve seen before while the community cares deeply about intertwining riding with art, music, education, food, and dynamic outdoor life that holds its arms wide open to all people.”

“We are honoured to support and join that community. Ledger and its team are truly first-class and creating an overall professional and welcoming environment that aligns with our beliefs in pedalling the planet forward.”

For Specialized this move comes as the brand has seen major changes to it’s structure and staffing, with D2C announcements, along with new CEO and Chief of Worldwide Markets appointments, coming in the last 4 months.

Relating directly to the Bentonville location, the new Specialized experience centre will have Rapha, who moved its North America Head Office to Bentonville in early 2020, as new neighbours (4 minutes pedal so says Google Maps).

Seeing the area become internationally know for its gravel and mountain bike terrain, in 2022 Bentonville will host an RCC Summit.

In promoting the 2022 RCC summit Rapha highlights that, “Boasting over 350 miles of natural surface trails and almost endless gravel roads, Bentonville is home to some of the best off-road riding in the world. Nestled amongst the rich forest and rolling hills of the Ozarks, the network of narrow roads and challenging trails forms a perfect playground of tarmac, gravel and singletrack. Having hosted some of the biggest races in the US and the 2022 World CX Championships, we can’t wait to show you around.”

Image source: https://ledgerbentonville.com/