January 2015 sees a new electric bike shop open in Cambridge, with the Electric Transport Shop relocating to larger premises on the city’s busy Newmarket Road.
The Electric Transport Shop (TETS) now has retail premises in several cities, including London, Oxford, Bristol and York. But the company’s roots are in East Anglia, with the company being founded in 2005 in Cambridge.
Starting out in a single, £100 per month lock up unit, the company’s first retail premises were located in the eclectic Hope Street Yard, which the company describes as a “friendly, but a somewhat sedate retail location”.
Eddie Kehoe, of TETS, says: “Hope Street Yard was a fantastic place for customers to come and visit – with free parking and a safe place to test ride. Entering the yard is a bit like stepping back in time, people expect to meet Steptoe and Son; it’s full of interesting antiques and fashion next to other designers, carpenters, artists and of course, during our time there, high-tech bikes.”
On the history of the Electric Transport Shop, Eddie continues: “While the first business year was slow, once we got a reputation for fair prices and great service we expanded within Hope Street Yard, gradually moving to bigger units until we occupied the largest unit in the yard”.
Fast forward to 2015 and the company are relocating to larger premises closer to the city centre, providing easy access and safe test ride routes by the River Cam for customers.
Eddie sums up: “I’m very excited about 2015. We love electric bikes and this will be a big year for e-bikes in the UK. The big brands are bringing exceptional value to the market, to try and win customers… and with names like Bosch, Yamaha, Panasonic and Shimano all competing for customers, we can expect fantastic offers. People will be able to demo all these major e-bike systems at our new store.”