Halfords profits soar to £96.4m

[Cycleops]

Due to the demand for bikes and electric scooters Halfords have increased profits but motor sector suffered:
https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blo...-set-to-double-on-back-of-surging-bike-sales/

 

[raggydoll]

That's crazy!
I knew a lot of people took up cycling over lockdown but this just shows you.

Just hope they have all kept it up and that they're not all just sitting in a shed unused!

 

[Cycleops]

Not everyone hopes that raggydol, some members are on the lookout for some bargains when they decide they want to get rid of them

 

[raggydoll]

Haha - I was thinking about the number of potential bikes that will end up on ebay or gumtree.

I'm sure there will be a good few boardmans being sold before long....'2020/2021 model - only used 3 times....excellent condition!'

There will defo be some bargains to be had!

 

[FrankCrank]

This store gets a lot of bad press, but can only talk from my own experiences, which have always been good. Not surprised they're doing well as a company, and especially during these extraordinary times with all the renewed interest in cycling. It's one of a handful of stores I look forward to having a mooch around in when back there.

 

[rogerzilla]

These are the electric scooters that can't be ridden anywhere except on private land

 

[Drago]

Private land not open to the public and with the consent of the owners, ie, their driveway and thsts about it.

 

[mustang1]

This store gets a lot of bad press, but can only talk from my own experiences, which have always been good. Not surprised they're doing well as a company, and especially during these extraordinary times with all the renewed interest in cycling. It's one of a handful of stores I look forward to having a mooch around in when back there.

I also had good experiences from Halfords. But I'm not sure about the atmosphere; I've never wanted to go in there for a look even when it's right next door. It's spacious so you can pull the bikes out and get a feel for them within the store. While I like space, I just don't find it an inviting place.

 

[PeteXXX]

And they never mind if you take your bike in, unlike some stores.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Let's be honest, despite the dislike on here and other enthusiast fora, they do what they do pretty well and they sell some solid bikes and accessories at a decent price. I've bought a kid's Carrera from there and it was great, a proper bike, well set up too... I'd probably avoid the Apollo range but the rest are decent. The Bike hut tools I've had have been excellent.

Not all the staff have the best knowledge, sure, but it's clearly a place that appeals to newer cyclists looking for a very straightforward and good value transaction and the offerings are at least a big step up from supermarket bikes. Maybe newer cyclists find the expertise of a local specialist a little daunting or confusing, so that might be a factor?
Anyway they're doing something right and I'm certainly not averse to going in for a mooch.

 

[fossyant]

Haha - I was thinking about the number of potential bikes that will end up on ebay or gumtree.

I'm sure there will be a good few boardmans being sold before long....'2020/2021 model - only used 3 times....excellent condition!'

There will defo be some bargains to be had!

Have you seen the price of used Boardmans ? I've been looking out for hard tails (I've for a Boardman FS Pro) and the prices aren't far off RRP for old bikes.

The FS Pro's from 2014 and 2016 are nearly as much as I paid for my 2014 FS Pro brand new 5 years ago.

 

[fossyant]

Let's be honest, despite the dislike on here and other enthusiast fora, they do what they do pretty well and they sell some solid bikes and accessories at a decent price. I've bought a kid's Carrera from there and it was great, a proper bike, well set up too... I'd probably avoid the Apollo range but the rest are decent. The Bike hut tools I've had have been excellent.

Same here, both kids have Carreras and they's lasted well -the 'kids' are 18 and 20 now. We had an Apolo for about 10 years before we upgraded that to a decent Pinnacle hybrid for my wife.

 

[fossyant]

These are the electric scooters that can't be ridden anywhere except on private land

Halfords are selling bucket loads of these electric scooters. They were on a documentary a few weeks ago. Whilst they clearly said they aren't for use in public, they also had a petition to the government to legalise them. The general public don't care and are just buying them.

They have been banned outright from our caravan site, with warnings you'll be evicted if caught with them. This was due to it being mayhem at Easter with everyone down on site, and kids and adults whizzing about on them (and illegal electric MX bikes) and almost hitting a number of people.

 

[GuyBoden]

I had a great experience at Halfords a few years back, I'd ordered a pair of mudguards online, I went to pick them up at the shop and the young assistant couldn't find them anywhere, after 3/4 hour he said they must be lost, so I asked to see the manager, who then looked and found them in 5mins. The manager then discounted them down to £10 for my inconvenience, so I was very happy.

 

[raggydoll]

Have you seen the price of used Boardmans ? I've been looking out for hard tails (I've for a Boardman FS Pro) and the prices aren't far off RRP for old bikes.

The FS Pro's from 2014 and 2016 are nearly as much as I paid for my 2014 FS Pro brand new 5 years ago.

I haven't looked at prices of boardmans.
I did notice that near the start of lockdown people were selling used bromptons for way more than new ones cost.
At the time there were pretty much no new bromptons in stock anywhere.
I know it's supply and demand but come on!

I guess the only good thing is there will be tons of used bikes being sold a in a couple of years....and once the new bike market is back to normal supply levels they won't be able to sell them for nearly as much as they are now.

Plus the 2nd hand market will be flooded with bikes so it will totally be a buyers market.

Maybe!