ZyroFisher: Celebrating 30 years of keeping the wheels turing
ZyroFisher is one of the cornerstone businesses in the cycle trade. The Northeast England-based business distributes a portfolio of some of the most prestigious names in the industry, including its own Altura brand. The business’s roots go back to the 1930s, but the company that we know today is celebrating its 30th birthday this year. From its state-of-the-art, bonded 100,000 square feet warehouse in Darlington, the firm supplies the trade with more than 28,000 product lines. Now employing over 140 staff, ZyroFisher is a key partner for both the brands that it represents and a vast network of specialist independent and multiple retailers around the UK and Eire. With ZyroFisher’s birthday celebrations looming large, Cycling Industry News caught up with CEO Tom Ainscough and chief commercial officer Nadine Thompson.
ZyroFisher reaches a significant milestone this year how is the business reflecting on that and marking it?
TA: We are really happy to mark a major milestone this year in ZyroFisher’s journey, proudly celebrating three decades supporting and promoting the cycling industry, particularly in parts, accessories and clothing. From our roots, to becoming a trusted partner, to representing some of the world’s most respected brands and retailers, we’ve stayed true to what we do best: Equipping riders with the products that enhance their ride.
We have an amazing team that not everybody gets to see so we’re celebrating the incredible passion behind the scenes, the product specialists, customer support, logistics and brand teams who have helped build our reputation over all these years. Internal events and storytelling campaigns will highlight the people and milestones that have shaped our journey.
NT: PAC has always been at the heart of ZyroFisher, it is a category where we bring real value to connections between brands and retailers. As we mark this milestone, we’re reaffirming our leadership in this space by continuing to offer market-leading customer service, AI driven data technology and insights, deep technical knowledge and a comprehensive, curated portfolio for every type of rider.
Tom, you’ve been leading the company since 2023. What have been the key developments at ZyroFisher since you arrived?
TA: Moving to a values-based leadership model has been key, releasing the creativity and autonomy of our teams by providing clear strategic direction. A new company vision has helped focus our organisation and tell our story, which has reinforced ZyroFisher’s position as the leading accessories and clothing brand partner in the cycling industry. We have returned to profitability by tightening commercial discipline, controlling costs and prioritising margin-enhancing initiatives. Alongside that, our use of AI and data analysis to focus on inventory optimisation means that we can retain value for all within the cycling industry and stabilise cash flow needs for us and our customers.
We made a deliberate choice on a streamlined brand portfolio, to focus on high-performing, strategically aligned partners. In doing this, we took the difficult decision to exit from brands and channels that we felt were not part of our core values, mission and vision. This has allowed us to elevate the core brands already within our portfolio while also securing new premium brand partnerships that align with our vision and channel strategy.
We reduced and rebuilt the senior leadership team to gain agility through faster and more autonomous decision making and ensure alignment with commercial goals and accountability for performance. In all of this, we consistently foster a high
performance culture focused on teamwork, integrity, excellence and passion.
All this work has built a strong foundation for sustainable, profitable long-term growth, through smarter planning, data-led decision making, and stronger brand and retailer relationships.
The company has come a long way since 1995, and of course its origins go back another 60 years. Looking at the bigger picture, what do you think are the key differences in running a distributor now compared to 30, 20 and 10 years ago?
NT: 30 years ago, distribution was largely about moving boxes warehousing, delivery and basic sales support. Today, we like to think of ourselves as adding value to the cycling industry as full-service partners, offering marketing, digital expertise, consumer insights and end-to-end brand representation.
The importance of digital and data has accelerated over the past 30 years. 20 years ago, ERP systems were just emerging, with most operations manual or semi-digital. Today, our operation is fully digital, giving us the ability to make decisions based on real-time data, AI driven data insights and analysis, B2B ecommerce and CRM tools, all allowing us to remain competitive and efficient.
There has been a significant shift in the retail landscape and consumer expectations over the past 30 years. 10 years ago, we primarily supported brick and mortar retailers with stock and displays. Today, we support those same retailers across a variety of platforms, ensuring seamless brand presence through in-store, online and D2C channels.
In a world dominated by digital, how important is it to keep supporting the bricks and mortar specialist retail sector?
TA: While routes to market may have evolved, at the heart of it, the consumer is still the same. Bricks and mortar remains critical for brand experience and building a community. Our consumers are often dedicated and passionate cyclists, who rely on specialist retailers as their go to for expertise, service and trust, that digital channels alone can’t deliver. The physical retail environment is an important place to foster loyalty, grassroots engagement and generate advocacy in a category where passion and knowledge drive purchasing decisions.
NT: Many of our brands offer highly technical products that benefit from hands-on advice, learning, fitting and aftersales support, an area where our specialist retailers excel. The pandemic highlighted that although people appreciate the efficiency of digital, they still value human and physical interaction at their local bike shop. It is not about digital or brick and mortar, but both. Supporting our partners with digital tools, real-time stock data, and consumer marketing can boost their competitiveness and extend brand reach. A strong retail presence complements digital growth, ensuring brand consistency and availability wherever the consumer shops.
ZyroFisher has been a significant player in the cycling industry for many years—how do you think it has established and sustained that position?
TA: We have built long-term relationships with some of the most respected and innovative brands in the industry. In doing so, we have consistently delivered value through brand building, strategic marketing, and strong in-market execution.
Our significant investment in logistics, warehousing, and technology has ensured industry-leading service levels and speed to market. We’ve scaled that up while sustaining operational excellence, allowing us to support growth without compromising quality and reliability.
Add in a committed and knowledgeable team with a shared passion for cycling and the outdoors, and that combination has been the foundation of our success. We’ve fostered a culture of collaboration, accountability and consumer focus from warehouse to boardroom.
You have a large portfolio of brands. While many of them are complementary, they must all have distinct needs and demands. How difficult is it to manage?
NT: Every brand has unique needs, from positioning and pricing to marketing and channel strategy. We succeed by tailoring our approach to their individual needs. The challenge lies in maintaining operational efficiency while still offering a bespoke, brand-specific service.
We don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. We build individual commercial and go to market plans that reflect each brand’s stage of growth, target audience, and strategic objectives. This requires constant coordination between sales, marketing, brand and supply chain.
We use digital tools and insights and AI to monitor performance, forecast demand and make agile decisions, ensuring that we meet brand expectations without compromising service levels. Brands increasingly rely on us for data-led insights and feedback loops that inform product development and strategy.
Maintaining effective logistics is a critical success factor for an organisation like ZyroFisher. What is special about your operations that enables you to do what you do at such a large scale?
NT: Logistics is a cornerstone of ZyroFisher’s proposition, and our state-of-the-art 100,000 square feet distribution centre is designed to handle high volumes efficiently, while maintaining accuracy and speed. With 28,000 thousand SKUs across multiple categories, our systems are built for both scale and flexibility.
We target ourselves on next-day delivery across the UK and Ireland on orders placed up to 16:00, with high order accuracy and fulfilment rates in excess of 95%. Our logistics reliability gives our retail partners and brand clients confidence in our execution.
Our operation handles a wide range of PAC from clothing to small, technical accessories. We also deliver individual packages to our D2C consumers, pallets to our large nationals and everything in-between. This requires careful space planning, custom packaging solutions and customer-specific workflows.
Increasingly, there is overlap between sectors like cycling, running, outdoor, camping and general athleisure. That must present the clichéd ‘challenges and opportunities’. How is ZyroFisher adapting to address these?
TA: The convergence of active sectors is indeed both a challenge and an opportunity for ZyroFisher. We’ve evolved from being a pure cycling distributor to a multi-category brand partner, but only where this makes sense for our brands and customers.
We’re actively curating a portfolio where brands complement across categories. This allows us to create bundled propositions, shared marketing opportunities and richer consumer engagement.
Which sectors do you think present the biggest opportunities for future growth and why?
TA: ZyroFisher is best placed to make the most of future opportunities by drawing on the diverse perspectives and experiences of its people, to better understand and connect with the full spectrum of today’s cyclists.
Consumers are increasingly blending sport, travel and lifestyle, and this creates a demand for products that deliver versatility and performance. The outdoor sector continues to grow post-pandemic, making it a natural extension of our core cycling and current offering. Meanwhile, eBikes, scooters and urban cycling gear are booming due to sustainability, congestion, and health trends. This segment brings new consumers, from commuters to older riders and creates opportunities for accessories, apparel and service products.
NT: The female market is historically underserved in cycling. It’s a segment that continues to provide an opportunity for growth through the right product offering. Brands that innovate and market authentically to women represent a major opportunity for the industry.
TA: Whatever we do with this business in the future and however we do it, you can be sure that our deep passion for cycling will underpin that work and continue to characterise ZyroFisher.
Can you name a highlight moment from your time at ZyroFisher?
NT: One of the standout moments during my time at ZyroFisher was successfully bringing globally respected brands like Leatt and Gaerne into the portfolio, plus taking sole distribution in the UK for SRAM and Continental. These additions represented a clear signal to the market that we were raising the bar on the quality, performance, and diversity of the brands we represent.
TA: A standout moment was seeing the pride and joy from our team in delivering year one of our long-term business plan. Among other things, this encompassed a return to profitability after a challenging period of industry-wide disruption. It was a turning point that demonstrated the strength of our team, the resilience of our model and the importance of having a clear strategic focus.
Look ahead to 2035, what do you think will be the key themes and messages framing ZyroFisher’s 40th birthday celebrations?
TA: First, a celebration of ZyroFisher’s long-standing leadership in cycling and outdoor distribution across the UK and Ireland. Second, a recognition of how the business evolved from a traditional distributor to a strategic brand growth partner across multiple sectors. Third, marking multi-decade partnerships with world-class brands showing that trust, performance and shared values still matter.
NT: By 2035, we expect transport to be significantly greener and more active, with ZyroFisher having played a central role in enabling that shift. In another ten years. We will be celebrating our contribution to the rise of eBikes, cargo bikes and sustainable commuting solutions, helping reduce emissions, congestion and overcoming barriers to active transport.
TA: We will also be celebrating progress in making cycling and the outdoors more inclusive, across gender, race, ability and background. ZyroFisher will be seen as a company that helped reshape the industry culture, both internally and through the brands that it champions.
