Halfords has committed to honouring all parts and accessories covered by warranties from retailers no longer trading, as well as providing money off vouchers for Wiggle+ subscribers.
The chief executive of Halfords has said the company will do “all it can” to support people caught out by the recent collapse of rival bike retailers.
Halfords has been selling bikes and accessories for 121 years.
Together with its specialist cycling business Tredz it has a market share of around 30%, offering bikes from £35 balance bikes to e-MTBs worth £15,000.
Referring to Wiggle CRC, which appointed administrators last week, Graham Stapleton said: “As the leading cycling retailer, we have a responsibility to support the whole market.
“That’s why we’re announcing today that if you’ve bought parts or accessories, covered by warranty from a retailer that is no longer trading, Halfords will honour the warranties. We’ll also support Wiggle+ customers with a Tredz voucher worth £15.
“Our Halfords and Tredz teams are working hard to see how we can support people who may be affected,” he said. We don’t want anyone to be left with worthless parts or accessories through no fault of their own, or to find they have paid in advance for a service that they can no longer benefit from.”
As we are all aware, bike sales rose significantly during the pandemic as millions of people rediscovered the benefits of cycling for exercise and sought outdoor activities during lockdown.
Stapleton added: “The cycling market is fundamentally sound and is ahead of where it was in 2019, but the extraordinary distortion caused by the pandemic and the volatility of the past three years has resulted in the closure of many independent bike shops, and now we are seeing large online retailers calling time too.
“We pledge that across Halfords and Tredz there is always a full range of children’s, adult and specialty bikes available, plus parts, accessories and clothing.”