Job losses at Rapha
Discussion
Oh, go on then.
After studiously avoiding contributing Ive decided to throw my hat into this thread as well.
Back in the day I used to utterly love Rapha.
I have a long sleeve jersey, a short sleeve jersey and a pair of bibs I bought in 2005 which have been worn to excess and are still ageing better than I am. My Assos kit in comparison is rather fragile and very much poorer value for money. The pad in my F1 Uno shorts is now functional at best, a couple of jerseys have shredded zips and my deep winter LL tights are under half the age of my Rapha kit and ready for the knackers yard.
In the beginning I got the Rapha marketing, liked the quality and also loved their association with grass roots cycling.
As has been said before in the quest for market penetration they have become the uniform of the cyclist with money and also outsourced their production with the few garments I have subsequently bought showing signs of wear at a vastly increased rate to my old stuff.
I havent bought any of their kit for years and am unlikely to do so in the future.
Their new commuting jacket does look rather nice having tried one on but I dont think the brand is for me any more
Cheers
After studiously avoiding contributing Ive decided to throw my hat into this thread as well.
Back in the day I used to utterly love Rapha.
I have a long sleeve jersey, a short sleeve jersey and a pair of bibs I bought in 2005 which have been worn to excess and are still ageing better than I am. My Assos kit in comparison is rather fragile and very much poorer value for money. The pad in my F1 Uno shorts is now functional at best, a couple of jerseys have shredded zips and my deep winter LL tights are under half the age of my Rapha kit and ready for the knackers yard.
In the beginning I got the Rapha marketing, liked the quality and also loved their association with grass roots cycling.
As has been said before in the quest for market penetration they have become the uniform of the cyclist with money and also outsourced their production with the few garments I have subsequently bought showing signs of wear at a vastly increased rate to my old stuff.
I havent bought any of their kit for years and am unlikely to do so in the future.
Their new commuting jacket does look rather nice having tried one on but I dont think the brand is for me any more
Cheers
Harpoon said:
£20m pre-tax loss (on a turnover of £42m) announced.
https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2018/12/rapha...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/12/01/su...
Would be interesting to see the accounts. https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2018/12/rapha...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/12/01/su...
Could the 20m be related to paying back the 20m borrowing they had from HSBC after they switched from Barclays?
Also investment in new clubhouses?
Or even the cost of closing clubhouses and removing staff.
numtumfutunch said:
Oh, go on then.
After studiously avoiding contributing Ive decided to throw my hat into this thread as well.
Back in the day I used to utterly love Rapha.
I have a long sleeve jersey, a short sleeve jersey and a pair of bibs I bought in 2005 which have been worn to excess and are still ageing better than I am. My Assos kit in comparison is rather fragile and very much poorer value for money. The pad in my F1 Uno shorts is now functional at best, a couple of jerseys have shredded zips and my deep winter LL tights are under half the age of my Rapha kit and ready for the knackers yard.
In the beginning I got the Rapha marketing, liked the quality and also loved their association with grass roots cycling.
As has been said before in the quest for market penetration they have become the uniform of the cyclist with money and also outsourced their production with the few garments I have subsequently bought showing signs of wear at a vastly increased rate to my old stuff.
I havent bought any of their kit for years and am unlikely to do so in the future.
Their new commuting jacket does look rather nice having tried one on but I dont think the brand is for me any more
Cheers
This is kind of where I am with them. My Merino Winter Jersey still looks as good as the day that I bought it 6 years ago. I'm struggling to find someone who sell gear that is both innovative and stylish. Café Du Cycliste have some really nice looking stuff but I'm not 100% convinced its suitable for the UK, particularly the autumn/winter/spring stuff. After studiously avoiding contributing Ive decided to throw my hat into this thread as well.
Back in the day I used to utterly love Rapha.
I have a long sleeve jersey, a short sleeve jersey and a pair of bibs I bought in 2005 which have been worn to excess and are still ageing better than I am. My Assos kit in comparison is rather fragile and very much poorer value for money. The pad in my F1 Uno shorts is now functional at best, a couple of jerseys have shredded zips and my deep winter LL tights are under half the age of my Rapha kit and ready for the knackers yard.
In the beginning I got the Rapha marketing, liked the quality and also loved their association with grass roots cycling.
As has been said before in the quest for market penetration they have become the uniform of the cyclist with money and also outsourced their production with the few garments I have subsequently bought showing signs of wear at a vastly increased rate to my old stuff.
I havent bought any of their kit for years and am unlikely to do so in the future.
Their new commuting jacket does look rather nice having tried one on but I dont think the brand is for me any more
Cheers
I've got 4 of the Rapha Merino short sleeve t-shirts from a few years ago. They were obviously from different suppliers, as the second pair feel different.
I love them, the older ones especially. I might have to check out Icebreaker though, as I think they may be a more cost effective option.
I love them, the older ones especially. I might have to check out Icebreaker though, as I think they may be a more cost effective option.
Icebreaker are still good; better than the alternatives but I think they were sold out a few years ago and it went from NZ? wool to made in China. There was a marked change in silkiness compared to 10+years ago.
Saying that they are still waaaaaaay better against the skin than other Merino tops.
Saying that they are still waaaaaaay better against the skin than other Merino tops.
Seems to me that Rapha are experiencing what a lot of other premium brands encounter when their market place becomes crowded.
they were not new in the way they offered a super premium product, Assos had been doing that for years, as had Castelli.
It was the way they linked it to the heritage of cycling and caught that wave.
Problem is, others entered the market, so they find themselves competing against Le Col, Stolen Goat etc, and Castelli have upped their game and used their heritage, Assos are offering more technical wear and broadening their offer.
It happens in other markets. One minute you can command a very peachy price and control your sales volume and outlets, the next your flogging the equivalent of a Maserati Biturbo just to pay the bills.
they were not new in the way they offered a super premium product, Assos had been doing that for years, as had Castelli.
It was the way they linked it to the heritage of cycling and caught that wave.
Problem is, others entered the market, so they find themselves competing against Le Col, Stolen Goat etc, and Castelli have upped their game and used their heritage, Assos are offering more technical wear and broadening their offer.
It happens in other markets. One minute you can command a very peachy price and control your sales volume and outlets, the next your flogging the equivalent of a Maserati Biturbo just to pay the bills.
I was at the HK Clubhouse last night for a 2019 Preview and Q&A session with Simon Mottram. He was very candid, very self aware and had a lot of very interesting things to say.
Interesting if you're a fan of Rapha
Interesting if you're a fan of cycling
From a Rapha perspective:
He recognised the issues that have been faced into over the last couple of years. This includes the RCC - that he has now taken personal charge of.
There are some exciting product ranges and tie-ups being released over the next 12 months and there is a renewed focus on quality - something I asked him about particuarly, and in relation to supply base.
For cycling in general:
The partnership with EF is going to see a lot more coverage of the various different disciplines - taking riders away from the tour calendar and putting them into CX, Trans Cont, KOM etc to get a new perspective. Rapha will also be their media production partners. I've seen the new kit - it's eye opening! I personally like it.
They have released their 2-year white paper, with 15 steps to increasing the popularity of cycling - the above forms part of the response.
There will be no new clubhouses for the next couple of years while they refine the format - there are several that only break even, and of course there was Sydney - that lose a couple of hundred thousand dollars a year during the lease and Simon acknowledged the closure was extremely badly handled.
There's also the founding of a Rapha foundation - with a cash injection from the new owners - but details can't be shared yet (We promised).
I think this year will be a bit of a make or break for the company - I'm going to throw my hat into the "rejuvination" ring. There's also a kit being released in May that I WANT.
Interesting if you're a fan of Rapha
Interesting if you're a fan of cycling
From a Rapha perspective:
He recognised the issues that have been faced into over the last couple of years. This includes the RCC - that he has now taken personal charge of.
There are some exciting product ranges and tie-ups being released over the next 12 months and there is a renewed focus on quality - something I asked him about particuarly, and in relation to supply base.
For cycling in general:
The partnership with EF is going to see a lot more coverage of the various different disciplines - taking riders away from the tour calendar and putting them into CX, Trans Cont, KOM etc to get a new perspective. Rapha will also be their media production partners. I've seen the new kit - it's eye opening! I personally like it.
They have released their 2-year white paper, with 15 steps to increasing the popularity of cycling - the above forms part of the response.
There will be no new clubhouses for the next couple of years while they refine the format - there are several that only break even, and of course there was Sydney - that lose a couple of hundred thousand dollars a year during the lease and Simon acknowledged the closure was extremely badly handled.
There's also the founding of a Rapha foundation - with a cash injection from the new owners - but details can't be shared yet (We promised).
I think this year will be a bit of a make or break for the company - I'm going to throw my hat into the "rejuvination" ring. There's also a kit being released in May that I WANT.
keith2.2 said:
Rapha
Thanks for that, interesting. The gear is out of my price range generally, but I like following the story and am liking what they're doing with EF.I also want the book Jo Burt has written, with Gruffy , but am waiting until I pass their Shepton store as I resent £5 postage on a £12 book....
I like the Rapha gear and you can get some good deals when they have the sales on. I absolutely love my pair of GT shoes. I've found their customer service to be the best i've dealt with.
My only disappointment is that the jersey i have is made in China. I really believe they could be made in England. I have some Isadore kit too which is really smart. They are a Slovakian company and their kit is all "hand made in Slovakia". You even get hand written notes with it sometimes.
My only disappointment is that the jersey i have is made in China. I really believe they could be made in England. I have some Isadore kit too which is really smart. They are a Slovakian company and their kit is all "hand made in Slovakia". You even get hand written notes with it sometimes.
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