Pedelecs talks to E-Bikes Direct about their brand, history and plans for the future:
Who is behind E-Bikes Direct and when was the company established?
E-Bikes Direct was founded in 2005 by me, Matt Flanagan, as sole director. I’ve been a cycling enthusiast since I was very young and feel extremely fortunate to have been able to realise the ambition of working in an industry that reflects a keen personal interest.
How did you first become interested in electric bikes?
It was when I visited China on a business trip in 2004 that I became aware of the existence of electric bikes for the first time. I saw them on every road. Not just the odd bike here and there, but thousands of them everywhere I went. When I returned to the UK, I began researching these eco machines and discovered that there were very few companies supplying them. With the drive for eco living high on the media agenda, I recognised the benefits electric bikes could offer the country, so taking advantage of the gap in the market that existed, I set up shop and have grown the business year on year since.
Where are you based?
Our head office is in Bodiam, East Sussex. We have offices, warehouse rooms, workshop and showroom – all on one site here. There are eight members of staff in total. We also have a partner store in Battersea, London and one in Aldershot, Surrey.
How do you combine being an online dealer with demos and customer care?
Whilst most of our business is conducted online, we still have many customers visiting our site and shops from across the South East. And sometimes further! In Bodiam we are fortunate to be located on a rural business park with private roads and a large hill, so we are in the ideal place for our customers to test the bikes well away from traffic. Since we began trading, we have supplied a significant number of electric bikes, many of them after word of mouth recommendations. Very often people will have ridden a friend’s bike before they decide to buy one of their own. Plus, we only supply known brands that are available countrywide, so potential customers are more likely to be aware of them and the features they include. We also deliver all our electric bikes ‘road-ready’ and not just as a boxful of parts for home assembly. Because we deal only with the most reliable brands on the market our customers can be sure they’re buying the best and most dependable models available but in the unlikely event a fault does occur, a machine can be couriered back to us in its custom box for repair. Alternatively we may subcontract to a local shop or advise remedies for minor issues direct to the customer.
What do you do differently to other retailers and what has supported your growth?
We deliver fully assembled. We offer highly competitive prices and discounts supported by our own considerable buying power. We stock the largest range of electric bikes in the UK making us a one-stop shop whatever the requirement. Also, we offer finance packages to all customers and leasing contracts to organizations, and we work with many other high profile corporate clients such as Sussex Police and the Met. We are members of all the cycle to work schemes, including bikes for the NHS and Evans Cycles ride2work scheme. We were involved in the formation of BEBA and our significant marketing budget is used to promote to the public, not only ourselves but also the whole concept of electric bikes. Our whole team is made up of proactive, enthusiastic and well-rewarded individuals who endeavour to increase business and quality of service. And who all cycle to work!
What key brands do you stock and why?
We stock a massive range of electric bikes to suit all needs and budgets, including Powacycle, Freego, Wisper, Byocycle, Cyclotricity, A2B, Fast4ward, Batribike, Riese and Muller, AVE, Solex, Viking, Kudos, Oxygen, Conv-e and many more. We have a long-standing association with all of these brands, and because of their reliability and performance, we are able to supply them to customers all over the UK and Europe with total confidence.
Are any particular models or brands proving to be favourites?
Byocycle manufacture our own folding electric bike which, as we bulk buy, means we can pass on any savings we make to our customers. It allows us to compete directly on price with the cheap internet bikes from suppliers who buy off the shelf from China. Freego and Wisper are also big sellers for us. We have supplied these for use by various police forces which has provided a great deal of credibility for both brands. Also, the well-established Powacycles have proved to be very popular with customers over the last ten years.
2014 and beyond
What does the future hold for E-Bikes Direct? What events do you plan to attend this year if people want to meet you and try a bike?
We’re looking forward to very a busy and exciting year in 2014. We have trials underway with the Metropolitan Police and we have several new brands being announced this spring. We will be continuing our push to provide demonstration days at various places of work and there will be a number of show attendances announced soon. In early spring our site is being re-launched as mobile friendly and we will be forming partnerships with quite a few magazines for free bike giveaways and regular Facebook competitions. Our marketing budget has been increased considerably and we will be aiming to continue pushing electric bikes and the E-Bikes Direct brand throughout the UK and across Europe.
How to get in touch with the E-Bikes Direct
We’re in the Pedelecs dealer directory listings, here’s a link to our dealer profile where you can get in touch.
Our thanks to Matt Flanagan for this interview.
