LONDON, England - Since Covid-19 took hold, there has been a surge in budget priced bike sales and bike repairs in the UK. Whilst major chains like Halfords and Evans closed at the start of the outbreak when lockdown was declared by the UK government on 23rd March, cycle shops were soon declared 'essential' and allowed to open. What effect has this had on the market?

LONDON, UK - Major UK high street cycle retailer Evans Cycles issued an update in late 2019 for the latest closed stores. They are Chalk Farm and Chiswick in London and Macclesfield and Leeds in northern England. Despite these closures the rate is far less severe than feared.

LONDON, UK - Bike Europe reported in November last year how the well-known 60 plus strong bike shop chain Evans was sold to Sports Direct. At the time of its sale Evans employed around 1300 people around 880 of whom worked in store.

REDITTCH, UK - Whilst 2018 saw the well-documented collapse of high street bike retailer Evans in the UK there was little in the press about competitor Cycle Republic, despite the fact that the high street competitor to Evans appears to have grown slowly but surely throughout 2018.

LONDON, UK - It has just been announced that one of the UK's major cycle retailers, Evans, is to be sold to UK-based Sports Direct, a major sports goods retailer. It marks the end of a bidding war between Sports Direct, Halfords and JD Sports, as reported in Bike Europe recently.

LONDON, UK - Sky News reports that the UK's main bricks and mortar cycle retailer, Halfords, has pulled out of talks aimed at finding a buyer for the 60+ strong high street chain of bike shops, Evans. IOt results in the fact that there are two main potential buyers left. One of the two is a major new player.