Endura and Rapha changes

[Webbo2]

Both companies went downhill when bought out.
Sympathies for the workers, none for the current owners.

Is this not the case with lots of companies. They are bought out then often the manufacturing is moved somewhere cheaper and suddenly they are losing money as folk don’t want to pay premium prices for crap.

 

[hobo]

Funny how British brands cant stay successful then you have brands like Castelli that have been around donkeys years.
Rapha should be the British Castelli
You should always engineer quality, quality will always sell.

 

[PaulSB]

Im surprised theyre closing the Manchester store, obviously Ive got no insight as to how the store was doing since I didnt even manage to find it last time I was in Manchester, found the Trek store though. But I thought Manchester, with it being the BC hub as well, had a good local cycling scene, ie lots of potential customers,so if you cant sell enough stuff to them, then there is something seriously wrong with the setup.

also what does it mean for Raphas Manchester to London ride, as I thought that store was a big part of that ?

the thing is I dont think theyll turn the business round because I dont think they understand the reasons why theyre failing currently,and ignoring specifically with Rapha Ive felt a downturn in kit quality in the last few years, the simple fact is they dont make anything that I want to buy anymore.

same with Le Col even with their firesale, its like not even really about the price at that point, its like none of their stuff interests me enough to part with any money.

whilst I can go on Ale, Gobik, Universal Colours and find loads of stuff I want. So its just until they work out who theyre trying to attract as a customer, theyll go on losing money.

I think you make some very good points which echo my own views.

I've never been a Rapha fan and why was confirmed on the one ocassion I had contact with the company. Let's keep one phrase in mind "The World's Finest Cycling Clothing and Accessories." A bold statement and one which a company should be able to substantiate.

My experience. One birthday my son gave me a Rapha jersey he purchased at the London store. I wanted to exchange it for a different product. I live near Manchester. I visited the store and asked for an exchange. The store flat out refused saying I could only return the jersey to the London store.

I contacted customer services who agreed if I mailed the jersey to head office, at my cost, I would be given a voucher. This took 7 - 10 days.

I returned to Manchester to find the store had virtually no stock, just a random selection of sale items. Nothing for me to browse. Think M&S with 80% empty shelves, that's how poorly stocked the store was.

Fortunately the rain jacket I wanted was available online. It's a decent jacket but far from the finest in the world. This isn't how one builds a business that can live up to its strap line.

Like yourself most cycle clothing companies have no chance of selling me product. I have everything I need and none, bar two, offer anything I would buy.

The exceptions for me are Lusso and Galibier who offer new and imaginative products that stimulate me to buy. Over the past 2-3 years I've bought six items from Lusso and four from Galibier. Each of these items has been innovative, persuading me to buy and making a significant contribution to my enjoyment of riding. I've spent the last week resisting the temptation to order a Galibier jacket that I don't need.......but really, really want to own.

Galibier send a free buff with every order, always makes me feel valued as a customer.

 

[Pblakeney]

Funny how British brands cant stay successful then you have brands like Castelli that have been around donkeys years.
Rapha should be the British Castelli
You should always engineer quality, quality will always sell.

Trouble is that they were selling so well that the company got sold.
Then...