One of the capital’s leading specialist cargo bike retailers, London Green Cycles, has officially opened a new, larger second location in Wandsworth.
The new store is in operation alongside the company’s flagship site adjacent to Regent’s Park, which has been an ever-popular outlet for London’s cyclists and one of the go-to places for all cargo bike owners and enthusiasts alike, since it first launched in 2013.
The Wandsworth store opened its doors as a showroom on May 2 and from June will also provide the three core elements of London Green Cycles’ current business model – specifically cargo bike sales, repair, and hire – with the aim of making these more widely available and accessible for customers, particularly for those living in the South West of the city.
The expansion to this new district comes following the brand’s acknowledgement that its main store had been struggling with limited space for its bikes some time – and the fact that its South West London consumer base has been consistently one of its strongest.
The second location will give London Green Cycles more storage areas and will allow the business to offer new and existing patrons a wider choice of options on its cargo bikes and even more readily available stock and shorter delivery times. This will be in terms of the size, type, and capacity of the bikes it provides, as well as the amount of stock on some of its most popular brands including: Christiania Bikes, Riese & Muller, Estarli, Bullitt, Bicicapace, Bakfiets, Yuba, Omnium, Nihola, Frog and Velo de Ville.
At present, most of the company’s bike orders are fulfilled from its warehouse, which is situated just beyond the M25 and typical delivery times are within a week. This will now be shortened to around two to three days for most of the cargo bikes in its range.
Speaking about the new store opening, London Green Cycles’ founder, Roman Magula, offered these comments:
“We’ve always strived to adapt and improve, in order to keep at pace with the very dynamic and fast-growing cargo bike market sub section of the cycling industry – and our expansion to the Wandsworth store is another example of this in action.
“There is so much more choice today compared to the few cargo bikes that were available 13-14 years ago. What’s more, because we stock a number of brands, with each producing a range of cargo bike models and different variations, space has always been a real challenge for us.
“We also know we have a sizable and very loyal customer base that includes everything from people that have got into cycling from riding our bikes, to families that have bought bikes from us that have served them for over 10 years, and of course the many companies that have bought their fleets from us. So we want to make sure we are continuing to provide the best and most complete array of products and services for these individuals and for any prospective customers in a more accessible and convenient way – which is something our new location will grant us the capacity to do more effectively.”
Mr Magula went on to state some of the additional benefits he says their customers will gain with this expansion:
“Many of our customers are parents juggling things like work, activities with their kids and school runs, and as such, they are highly reliant on their cargo bikes. We know for a fact that every single one of our customers that uses their bike for the school run needs them at least twice a day, as it’s simply not possible to do the same trip as easily or quickly in the car or by using public transport. This means that should any disruptions or issues arise, it can be very stressful and challenging to find the time to resolve them. But with our Wandsworth store we will now be able offer them more opportunities for bike servicing and repairs, all much closer to home – which will be a welcome change for many, I’m sure!
“Another one of our USPs is that we can support customers in emergency situations. If, for instance, someone suffers an unexpected breakdown, we can arrange a bike pickup from anywhere in Greater London within half an hour. Plus we can get more people back on their bikes quicker, as our repairs are also designed to be completed within the same day.
“Small businesses of all kinds are also a key part of our customer base and it will be very exciting for us to see our bikes being put to good use with more local businesses. Lastly, our mechanics are well-trained and highly skilled and their knowledge and experience that’s specific to cargo bikes is second to none – so on a general level we’re very proud that we can now offer our expertise to a wider audience.”
The new Wandsworth branch is located at 30 Jaggard way, SW12 8AS, around a 50-minute bicycle journey from the original Camden store. Despite the distance between the branches, the new location will offer coverage in a sizable section of South and South West London – this includes: Battersea, Fulham, Richmond, Dulwich and Kennington, with all being a comfortable cycling distance from the new store.
