LondonClassic
Retro Guru
Of course - and they'll be a must have bike in 2055 with a name on the frame we'll not have heard of. My point is nobody alive in 2055 to remember Raleigh's heyday so why should the brand have any value then?
Raleigh losses.
- Thread starter Rapparee87
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Up until 5 or 6 years ago Raleigh were investing in their successful wheel building business in Nottingham.
https://bikebiz.com/raleigh-uk-to-invest-in-more-wheel-building-machines/
https://bikebiz.com/raleigh-uk-expands-wheel-production/amp/
https://bikebiz.com/raleigh-uk-to-invest-in-more-wheel-building-machines/
https://bikebiz.com/raleigh-uk-expands-wheel-production/amp/
highlandsflyer
Retro Wizard
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My point is that they are here now, so they are well placed to be here then. Legacy or not.
bikeworkshop
Old School Grand Master
Bikeworkshop ltd, in Bristol, was studied by Bristol University looking at businesses that aren't trying to grow - its unusual enough to warrant academic attention, apparently
If you grow you can reach into new opportunities as other areas come under threat - but its impossible to grow forever.
On the other hand, look at brand that have managed a century or more of growth and success, like Ford, tate&lyle, Panasonic
I'm sure there are a lot but it's hard to find one that haven't been taken over by a conglomerate.
If you grow you can reach into new opportunities as other areas come under threat - but its impossible to grow forever.
On the other hand, look at brand that have managed a century or more of growth and success, like Ford, tate&lyle, Panasonic
I'm sure there are a lot but it's hard to find one that haven't been taken over by a conglomerate.
Yes Raleigh produced a lot of wheels. Were they profitable? Doubtful……those machines are expensive to buy and factoring in the wages of the wheel assemblers
P5 looked better. The non coupe version
Cloverleaf
Retro Guru
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I think quite often with outside investment there's a desire to continuously improve returns, and see even diminished growth as a negative. Patagonia sadly have become very bougie amongst a certain group but their products were always solid, and their ethics strong. I don't agree with all their political grandstanding but I do like that they aren't trying to take over the world. What does the world do when their profits reduce? Treat it as though it's the worst thing ever and that they are in trouble, not that they've continued to treat their staff well in the face of diminished spending, and that it's tantamount to going out of business. Sustainable business practices are very far from the tongues of most companies and pretty much all investment groups. I applaud you for doing what you do and just keeping it steady, there's a lot to be said for that.Bikeworkshop ltd, in Bristol, was studied by Bristol University looking at businesses that aren't trying to grow - its unusual enough to warrant academic attention, apparently
If you grow you can reach into new opportunities as other areas come under threat - but its impossible to grow forever.
On the other hand, look at brand that have managed a century or more of growth and success, like Ford, tate&lyle, Panasonic
I'm sure there are a lot but it's hard to find one that haven't been taken over by a conglomerate.
The other thing with all this is that there's a big difference between adaptation and growth. You can keep a business at a sustainable size and simply adapt to what the market wants, although if you're a one man band or other small operation and have enough business in your happy space to stay there then why change? Look at some of the performance tuning businesses which specialise in particular cars; like Litchfield were instrumental in Impreza tuning 20+ years ago, but as the owners of them dropped down the income ladders they started to move into other things like Skylines. The same with Graham Goode Racing. They are bigger, yes, but they haven't grown exponentially, they've just moved with the market while still staying true to their core knowledge and segment. If an investment firm came in and bought them it would have been 'let's have centres all over the UK, let's do every car in existence, let's advertise everywhere, and let's try to put every other tuner out of business so we can increase market share even if it costs us lots of debt to do it'.
bikeworkshop
Old School Grand Master
Like Wiggle Chain Reaction
Put 100s of shops out of business, those collected bits of knowledge gone for ever.
They increased market share until they were the world's biggest cycle retailer.
But they never made any money, and eventually the banks said "no more".
Some of us outlasted them
Cloverleaf
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Indeed. On one hand you have to applaud the original owners of CRC for creating such a behemoth from a tiny little shop on an average street in Belfast. I went there once in the early days and the stock was mostly in the attic and the wheel jig in the toilet. And those original owners, while eventually impacting other local shops across the country, did at least still reside in NI and treated their employees very well across the multitude of businesses under the umbrella. Then Wiggle was taken over by the vultures, and Wiggle then behaved like one too, at which point the race was lost.Like Wiggle Chain Reaction
Put 100s of shops out of business, those collected bits of knowledge gone for ever.
They increased market share until they were the world's biggest cycle retailer.
But they never made any money, and eventually the banks said "no more".
Some of us outlasted them
And as you say, the loss of hundreds of shops wasn't just the loss of ability to get a part on a Saturday afternoon but also to speak to someone. Not every conversation leads to a sale but if you have a good local and purchase most of your stuff from them there is an easy way to have a conversation without pressure (or the offer of helping you fix something at 5pm on a Friday before a big race). Yes, forums and latterly FB replace some of that but what the 'what X is best' threads fail to deal with is how components interact with each other and whether they work for local scenarios. Original Fox 40's were terrible in the abrasive dust of a QT summer yet were fine in a Scottish winter (or indeed summer, which is the same thing). Could I recommend a product for someone riding in the South Downs? Nope. Well, I could give info on what I run, but that isn't a recommendation, just adding to the knowledge pool from which an experienced rider could make a decision. Bugger all use to a beginner who doesn't know any better though.
Away from the unavoidable likes of Tesco I try to not only buy from independents, but the same independents. I have an element of loyalty and believe that if you find a good source of something you stick with it as that way you get better service and get looked after. A local post office near my parents in the far north west invested massively during covid and now my parents don't spend a penny in Tesco other than a few kg of chicken a week for the dog. As a result of buying 75% of their groceries there (the rest are the local fish monger and butcher, and they look after us very well too) they get lots of stuff that's out of date and thus can't be sold, but which is absolutely fine, or get bread and eggs from the secret stash for selected locals once their main supply has been stripped bear by the tourists (then again, we must celebrate tourists actually buying local rather than just stocking up in the Inverness Tesco). Same with fuel; they and I both buy fuel from this place because it's run by a local couple who employ and bunch of locals properly. Some locals are celebrating the pending opening of a full co-op but we'll not touch it. Why support a company that is paying minimum wage and simply stripping cash from a rural area where income is already scarce?
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