Westfield shopping district gains BikeSoup flagship store
The high footfall shopping district Westfield White City will gain its first bike shop, with BikeSoup taking on a premises from which to introduce the masses to a premium cycling experience.
Opening in November, shoppers at Westfield will see the latest bikes from brands such BMC, Scott, Giant and Gogoro, as well as some bespoke one of a kind builds displayed over two floors totalling 5,500 sq ft.
The brand new store will be home to same-day servicing workshops, staffed by experienced mechanics who have added expertise in premium bikes, as well as the eBikes sector.
Bikesoup’s new home in Westfield Square will also feature a refuel cafe with fresh coffee, pastries and sandwiches. All of this will be complimented by both an indoor and outdoor place to socialise with fellow riders.
Founded by the late Anthony Auty and backed by serial entrepreneur and Dragons Den investor Touker Suleyman, Bikesoup has been among those platforms providing a bicycle marketplace for premium, pre-loved bikes over the last decade. The business took a break to strategize and now returns with this physical presence.
In February 2021, Suleyman welcomed to the business Tom Singh, the entrepreneur behind high street giant New Look and former Dragons Den investor Tej Lalvani CEO, founder of Vitabiotics, as co-investors of Bikesoup.
“In the aftermath of the pandemic Tom, Tej and I saw an exciting rise in cycling and the community culture that comes with it. It brought back many memories of cycling as a child and later in life with our own children. We noticed a significant gap in the market to provide London cyclists with a premium, same-day servicing, bike shop in West London. We wanted to fuel the passion that comes with this sport by showcasing the latest technologies, being home to the best bikes across a variety of sectors and housing a coffee shop that will encourage conversations and story telling amongst likeminded cyclists,” offered Suleyman.
Also part of the team is former VonCrank Founder Cariern Clement-Pascall.
Suleyman added on his involvement “Having Cariern Clement-Pascall (former Founder of the mobile repair app VonCrank) to build Bikesoup has been the perfect fit. Cariern’s innovative approach and extensive knowledge of the industry plus his genuine passion for cycling reinforces this opportunity . During our first conversation we had together, he simply said he’s only interested in building the best bike shop in London and to that I agreed. With no stone unturned I truly believe we’ve almost hit the nail on the head with a little fine tuning left to be done once the doors open. Bikesoup is for that true bike fan, the cycling commuter and that first time rider. ”