Whyte refocuses and exits bike hire & experience centres
Following a long evaluation of its three UK bike hire & experience centres, Whyte Bikes is to refocus on its core business of developing, manufacturing and supplying quality bike and eBikes. That will see Whyte move away from its hire and experience centres, which have been judged not additive of supportive of the company’s core business.
All three sites are located in UK forest locations, acquired to test and evaluate a strategy to develop a network of hire and experience centres across the country. The recent evaluation was initiated by Whyte’s new CEO Nikki Hawyes earlier this year.
“We are disappointed to have to reverse this strategy of supporting our three hire centres,” explained Whyte’s CEO Nikki Hawyes, “but, as a bike business, our focus remains on supporting the independent bike dealers in the UK and our valued international distributors.”
Whyte stepped in to save Bedgebury Forest-based ‘Quench Cycles’ from administration in Spring 2023, before reopening its doors shortly afterwards. Whyte then began operating the bike hire concession at High Lodge in Thetford Forest as ‘Ride Experience’ and also acquired the popular ‘Swinley Bike Hub’ in December 2023.
“This has been a difficult decision to make as all the hire centre teams have been a credit to the Whyte bikes business,” continued Hawyes, “I want to thank them all for their dedication, hard work and commitment to delivering the best hire and coaching experiences for all our ride centre customers over the last 17 months.”
The three hire centres businesses are expected to cease trading under a Whyte bikes brand banner at the end of September; in the meantime, Whyte is actively working with the management teams across the sites to find a viable alternative ownership.
Whyte said it remains fully committed to demos of its award-winning, innovative bikes and eBikes to allow consumers to experience their extraordinary performance through its IBD demo bike programme, together with dealer-led and consumer events.
