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OK, hot off the press... Wiggle and CRC are to make a return. We honestly don't know what this corporate speak below actually means, so we've reached ...
By stwhannah
Get the full story here:
https://singletrackworld.com/2024/03/frasers-group-to-relaunch-wiggle-and-chain-reaction-websites/
Do Frasers actually know anything about bikes?
I'm expecting a load of cheap tat covered in Muddy Fox logos....
I suspect we'll see a rebranded Evans. I'll be very surprised if they were to come up with anything genuinely new, there's simply not the time to do it.
We honestly don’t know what this corporate speak below actually means
It's not that hard. They are saying they want to utilise the brands they bought along with Chiggle.
But how they'll do that is unclear.
Does that mean DHB & Nukeproof logos on the crappy Muddyfox clothes they currently sell? Or ordering some of the successful lines that were previously sold / even developing new ones with Chiggle's suppliers?
In the short term, I'd absolutely expect a white-labelled version of the Evans website with CRC and Wiggle branding.
We honestly don’t know what this corporate speak below actually means, so we’ve reached out
Oh the ironing....
@thegeneralist I nearly wrote (see what we did there…) but gave you more credit 🙂
but gave you more credit
Careful, it was that sort of behavior by the parent company that got them into this mess.
stwhannah
Full Member
@thegeneralist I nearly wrote (see what we did there…) but gave you more credit
The Edinburgh defence knows no bounds 😉
" I nearly wrote (see what we did there…) but gave you more credit 🙂"
I was 90% sure you'd reply saying that.
and 80% sure it would be in truth 🤣
But a little nagging part of me...,..
Can't wait to send it on a new Nukeproof BSO bought from my local Sports Direct.
Can't imagine it'll be anything more than a re-skin for the Evans website...but I do like 'Managing Director of Wheels'.
Surely they shoudl just be able to start selling DHB gear or Nukeproof bikes in Evans shops without a middleman and make more profit? Seems like a winner to me?
They are however experts at selling things so surly thats all you need for an online bike parts retailer ?
Does depend what they decide to sell and which bit of the market they target.
Like the bike spares rack in most Decathlons is like going back in time 30 years with 6 and 7 speed cassettes on the racks...
My hope would be that they'll re-launch the brands and re-employ the people behind them. From a business, if not ethical, perspective it makes sense as the employees get made redundant (and paid redundancy) then you can pick the ones you want to offer roles too under your own T&C's without having to TUPE the whole company.
I wonder if they bought all the remaining stock in the end?
I read the statement from Frasers to be that Wiggle and CRC will quickly re-launch and therefore the product offering will be what's already stored in Shirebrook and for sale on Evans.
Nukeproof, DHB, Ragley, etc are all up for sale/rent
My hope would be that they’ll re-launch the brands and re-employ the people behind them. From a business, if not ethical, perspective it makes sense as the employees get made redundant (and paid redundancy) then you can pick the ones you want to offer roles too under your own T&C’s without having to TUPE the whole company.
I read it as they will have a look at doing something like this but are also happy for another group to come along and stick a name on their kit? Doesn't necessarily mean BSO and could easily be similar to what went before. Let's be right, plenty of the CRC/Wiggle brands were decent but pretty basic. Shouldn't be too hard for a competitor to buy the same catalogue frames and put a Vitus decal on them.
Nukeproof, DHB, Ragley, etc are all up for sale/rent
All sold as part of the deal I thought?
Surely if they own the IP etc they can just speak to the factories and order more of the same stuff?
That's what I'd do.
They should have a good idea how bad the industry is still over-stocked on both soft goods and bikes.
Stick some orders in for popular Chiggle lines, informed by that.
They're probably still working it out TBH.
Do Frasers actually know anything about bikes?
Does it matter? It's just another website to flog stuff through.
I imagine they've only just got the keys to the website and so They'll probably be lobbing together a group composed of various Frasers/Sports Direct/Evans people to figure out what to actually do with the trainset they've just been handed.
If it was me I'd start by looking at current stock the group hold for cycling (and other sports) that could go on there, while deciding how best to exploit the brands they've just acquired, including "cheap tat covered in Muddy Fox/DHB/NP logos", but also looking at picking up with some (probably not all) former Chiggle suppliers' to pick up some of their legacy product lines...
I wouldn't expect anything too exciting, but Frasers as a group have clearly recognised the value of specific brands and online retailers in the cycling market, considering this isn't their first acquisition in the bicycle retail niche.
Russell Merry is a smart bloke, time served in the bike industry. Watch this space I reckon.
I want a crc pint mug
Chiggle
Reported
Nukeproof, DHB, Ragley, etc are all up for sale/rent
Are these not just sales brands though, not actually a unique brand themselves
When you look at the list of creditors it’s mainly far east bike manufacturers or bike related factories that clearly churn out a product that you stick your own brand name on.
i could be wrong but I assume they have bought wiggle/crc and related brands so they just go to any factory and ask them to start making DHB clothing or Nukeproof bikes.
I could be talking BS though but that’s what the creditors list looked like
Dhb, fohn , nukeproof and prime stuff is already being listed on the Evans site.
Can't see any bikes yet
They are however experts at selling things so surly thats all you need for an online bike parts retailer ?
They're going to start selling Surly bikes?
unexpected!
If they run these new retail businesses like the ones that their group already own then they’ll be efficient, keenly priced and offer a broad range of products.
The sports direct model built a very successful empire, let’s not forget that.
As Brant says, watch this space. There's some background stuff in all this and I'm interested to see how it plays out.
‘Online drop ship’
Maybe they’re going to take off and nuke the entire site from orbit - it’s the only way to be sure!
Looking at the knockdown prices Ashley was flogging 5 / 10s for it seems he thinks of them as just another far east pair of daps to flog ? Either no concept of the legacy of the brand or just doesn't care .Or were they vastly overpriced in the first place ? I understand they haven't been as good since Adidas bought them ?
Karrimor is one brand in particular that comes to mind among others.
They'll have been priced on what is a good return on what they paid for them not some romantic notion of what they used to be valued at 20 years ago. Grumpy stuff is being "devalued" but also grumpy if the business makes money.
As for Karrimor, both the kid and I have shoes by them and they've outlasted everything else in terms of waterproof and wear and tear while also being cheaper than the competition.
Neither me nor my child are your wife and we don't have a dog but thanks for that.
I’m sorry if I’ve caused offence. I’m just trying to say that we found that the value stuff from Decathlon lasted better for the same price
People will still buy stuff from them and they'll be unaware of the buyout. Not me personally and god help anyone who buys a bike from them that develops problems.
This just be turned into the UK version of Aliexpress.
commercial partnerships to enhance and expand these own-brand lines through development, sales, licensing, and international distribution opportunities.
Translates as “Sell a bunch of cheaply manufactured low quality tat under their newly acquired brand names” - same as they did with their other acquisitions - see Karrimor etc
🤔 Well that's two websites I'll try to avoid in the future 🤷♂️
Based upon their previous acquisitions, you'd have to imagine a £5.99 delivery fee etc. I can't see them not selling half decent bike kit/spares (in addition to driving their own brands into the ground with inferior quality etc) as they'll easily rank on Google for anything they list.
I think what lots of folks forget is that Ashley's shops specialise in selling to the general public what the general public want, and they're very good at it. As as been mentioned on the thread already, Sports Direct is a money making machine. In a away that [conspicuously] CRC-Wiggle, as it turns out, wasn't.
There's probably enough online kit sellers who specialise in the sort of kit that folks on this forum want to buy, if there are too many, another over-leveraged one is going to go bust soon, if there are too few, then maybe resurrected CRC-Wiggle will get back into the specialist market again. But as that isn't Ashley's AoE, I doubt it frankly.
Maybe Nukeproof will become another BSO brand, maybe dhb will suddenly be in the Ath-leisure wear market, maybe they won't, if they have the things that I want to buy, I'll buy them, if not I'll get my 12 speed just-so-labelled-product that meets my niche requirements for acceptance the trail head car park from somewhere else...
Sad demise of CRC.
I doubt Mike Ashley will lose any sleep over losing a customer base who can’t have been profitable. They focus on low cost items and that’s a formula they are annoyingly successful at.
They will also create some jobs probably for those made redundant.