Why I won't be shopping at Evans again.
Discussion
A few weeks ago, a new bike shop opened in Kennington on CS7. It doesn't sell bikes (I don't think), but does parts and servicing, and also has a café and bar. They're open nice and early, and are in a stretch of CS7 without any other nearby shops, so are pretty handy, even if it's just to borrow a track pump to top a tyre up after fixing a puncture, which is how I first encountered them.
This morning, Evans have a free "pit stop" set up a couple of hundred yards before you reach the shop.
I've never seen Evans doing this before in the 2.5 years I've been commuting, and I'm too cynical to think the location - 200yds in front of a new parts & servicing shop when they could've put themselves outside one of their own shops on or next to the route - was anything other than deliberate.
It's not as though Evans are going to be threatened by one small independent which, in London terms, is nowhere near a branch of theirs, so what's wrong with live and let live? No doubt they will get some new customers as a result, some of whom might otherwise have gone to the new place, but as far as I'm concerned, I'll not be buying anything from them in the future.
This morning, Evans have a free "pit stop" set up a couple of hundred yards before you reach the shop.
I've never seen Evans doing this before in the 2.5 years I've been commuting, and I'm too cynical to think the location - 200yds in front of a new parts & servicing shop when they could've put themselves outside one of their own shops on or next to the route - was anything other than deliberate.
It's not as though Evans are going to be threatened by one small independent which, in London terms, is nowhere near a branch of theirs, so what's wrong with live and let live? No doubt they will get some new customers as a result, some of whom might otherwise have gone to the new place, but as far as I'm concerned, I'll not be buying anything from them in the future.
Agreed - if that was deliberate that's pretty low. Why not contact their customer relations department asking for a comment?
It's akin to Starbucks opening a location next door to a small private coffee shop and putting them out of business. I know...business is business....but it's definitely an unsavoury tactic IMO and is leading to most high-streets in Britain looking identical.
It's akin to Starbucks opening a location next door to a small private coffee shop and putting them out of business. I know...business is business....but it's definitely an unsavoury tactic IMO and is leading to most high-streets in Britain looking identical.
Dave Shaw said:
Well one things for sure, it won't be the staff from the Evans in Spitalfields. They can barely bring themselves to speak to their customers
First time I visited Spitalfields I walked up from the market and found Evans, at the time I was looking at a 29er. I got fed up waiting for the biffs arguing who was going to fix the puncture on a fixie as they couldnt be arsed to take the wheel off. WeirdNeville said:
It's nothing new though is it. Coffee shops hand out vouchers to try and smash the competition, even if it is a nice bloke in a new start up.
I'm sure evans are very scared of losing their £15 for a puncture repair crowd. Money for old rope.
You're absolutely right, of course, but at least in the case of coffee shop vouchers, most people probably buy coffee on a daily basis. By setting up and offering freebie bike fettling like this, they're doing a pretty effective job of depriving the new guys of some potential customers for however long it takes for their bike to develop its next issue, which could be months.I'm sure evans are very scared of losing their £15 for a puncture repair crowd. Money for old rope.
http://blog.evanscycles.com/commuter_urban/evans-c...
But it's not just a cynical attempt to scupper the opposition is it. Also police there to mark bikes. I imagine that it's organisation started before the new shop opened. Lets not let the facts get in the way of Evans bashing!
But it's not just a cynical attempt to scupper the opposition is it. Also police there to mark bikes. I imagine that it's organisation started before the new shop opened. Lets not let the facts get in the way of Evans bashing!
Jimboka said:
http://blog.evanscycles.com/commuter_urban/evans-c...
But it's not just a cynical attempt to scupper the opposition is it. Also police there to mark bikes. I imagine that it's organisation started before the new shop opened. Lets not let the facts get in the way of Evans bashing!
Posted 19th June. Must have been planned some time before that to get police ,TfL and Muck off all involved.But it's not just a cynical attempt to scupper the opposition is it. Also police there to mark bikes. I imagine that it's organisation started before the new shop opened. Lets not let the facts get in the way of Evans bashing!
el stovey said:
Jimboka said:
http://blog.evanscycles.com/commuter_urban/evans-c...
But it's not just a cynical attempt to scupper the opposition is it. Also police there to mark bikes. I imagine that it's organisation started before the new shop opened. Lets not let the facts get in the way of Evans bashing!
Posted 19th June. Must have been planned some time before that to get police ,TfL and Muck off all involved.But it's not just a cynical attempt to scupper the opposition is it. Also police there to mark bikes. I imagine that it's organisation started before the new shop opened. Lets not let the facts get in the way of Evans bashing!
Maybe I'm being overly cynical though.
Evans has a long had an aggressive strategy of opening stores in direct competition with local bike shops, fully intending to squeeze them out. I guess the rationale is that a surviving LBS demonstrates a local market that a new Evans store could service.
Have a look at where Evans tend to open new stores and it is often almost across the road from existing bike stores. A few local examples for me:
Spitalfields - against Cycle Surgery (albeit that's not exactly a LBS)
Clapham High Street - across the road from Apex Cycles
Potentially, the shop in this thread.
I'm not sure about this one, but was On Your Bike at London Bridge there before Evans?
It would be interesting if others notice that their local Evans is a stone's throw from a local bike store.
Have a look at where Evans tend to open new stores and it is often almost across the road from existing bike stores. A few local examples for me:
Spitalfields - against Cycle Surgery (albeit that's not exactly a LBS)
Clapham High Street - across the road from Apex Cycles
Potentially, the shop in this thread.
I'm not sure about this one, but was On Your Bike at London Bridge there before Evans?
It would be interesting if others notice that their local Evans is a stone's throw from a local bike store.
Kermit power said:
el stovey said:
Jimboka said:
http://blog.evanscycles.com/commuter_urban/evans-c...
But it's not just a cynical attempt to scupper the opposition is it. Also police there to mark bikes. I imagine that it's organisation started before the new shop opened. Lets not let the facts get in the way of Evans bashing!
Posted 19th June. Must have been planned some time before that to get police ,TfL and Muck off all involved.But it's not just a cynical attempt to scupper the opposition is it. Also police there to mark bikes. I imagine that it's organisation started before the new shop opened. Lets not let the facts get in the way of Evans bashing!
Maybe I'm being overly cynical though.
17 May was their first pitstop at the same location, planned on at least the 14th May according to the posting.
Pit Stop details
7:00am-10:00am Friday 17th May
62 Kennington Park Road, London
(in front of Kennington tube station)
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