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Small Business Strategy Inquiry 2025 - ACT and Bira call for members to share their voice

20 Jun 2025

The House of Commons Business and Trade Committee has asked the ACT, and its parent company Bira, to help them reach out to small business retailers across the country, for their quick input on... Read more…

Beyond the discount: Restoring integrity to the cycle supply chain

18 Jun 2025

The Association of Cycle Traders believes the time has come for greater accountability throughout our supply chain, writes ACT Director Jonathan Harrison in an article published for BikeBiz.
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Bira welcomes Wales' business rates proposals but calls for key improvements

11 Jun 2025

Bira has welcomed the Welsh Government's consultation on business rate reforms for retail shops, whilst calling for significant improvements to ensure the proposals truly support high street... Read more…

New awards launch to champion Britain's independent high street heroes

9 Jun 2025

Retailers on Britain's high streets are being encouraged to put themselves forward for the first-ever Love Your High Street Awards, designed to celebrate the small businesses that bring... Read more…

"Tectonic shift" in employment law threatens independent retailer viability, warns Bira podcast

6 Jun 2025

Independent retailers are facing a "generational" transformation of employment law that could fundamentally change how small businesses operate, according to the final episode of Bira's first... Read more…

Retailers hope warm weather and bank holidays will boost high street sales

16 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has said that members are hopeful the warm weather, Easter weekend and upcoming bank holidays will provide a much-needed boost to high street sales.
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Economic growth surges to 0.7%, but "April reality check" looms for high street retailers

15 May 2025

UK economy delivers strongest quarterly performance in a year despite forecasts of business downturn.
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Communities come together for Local Bike Shop Day 2025 celebrations

13 May 2025

Local Bike Shop Day 2025 brought a wave of... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira welcomes Bank of England's latest interest rate cut

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has welcomed the Bank of England's decision to reduce interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25%, calling it a "much-needed boost" for the retail sector, including for cycling... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira responds to Beales' "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" as iconic store makes final protest

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has responded to the news that the 144-year-old Beales department store is staging a "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" in its final weeks of trading, with giant yellow... Read more…

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Local Bike Shop Day Stories: Rides on Air

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

Rides on Air, Local Bike Shop DayIn celebration of Local Bike Shop Day's return for 2020, the ACT are launching Local Bike Shop Day Stories, an initiative that helps to spread the word of the positive impact that local bike shops have on their local communities.

Rides on Air

Rides on Air has been in Wallingford town centre for almost 100 years although the name changed to Rides on Air in 1998 and has recently relocated within the centre of the town to a complete new store in April 2019.

The business changed ownership in April 2017, we had a big change in brands and product selection within the store which proved to be very popular with our customers.

Since then we have re-established the family values within the business. We believe that we have the right mix of products, delivered with valuable customer service provided by a very strong team of employees whose passion for cycling is evident.

The town of Wallingford is very events orientated, ranging from music festivals to classic car events- not forgetting the annual 3 day cycling event which we ensure we are actively involved every year!

Why people should shop local

The high street is still an integral part of people's lives in terms of working, shopping, and visiting cafe's or restaurants. While there has always been competition from adverts in magazines and newspapers, recently this has converted to the internet.

However, we are seeing many online businesses struggle as marketing and discounts tend to reduce any margins, this has led to prices going up enabling us to match prices in many cases and become equally as competitive.

The upside of the internet has been stock availability. Managing customer requirements against stock levels is vital to ensure stock churn which a business needs and enables us to capture that sale on the day.

Plans for Local Bike Shop Day 2020

We start our new Saturday morning cycle rides for beginners in April which also helps guide people through various local cycle routes safely away from the traffic. This also helps to encourage people that don't like cycling on their own to get the bike out of the garage and invariably draws repair work into the store!

We also provide support to local schools and events locally to promote the health and benefits of cycling. As well as this, we also began carrying out ladies cycle maintenance evenings in 2019!

Find out more about Rides on Air and other shops that have registered for Local Bike Shop Day here.

Want to share your local bike shop story?

If you would like to get involved with Local Bike Shop Day Stories please email info@theact.org.uk with the following information:

  • Background information on your shop, such as when it opened and why
  • Ways in which you believe your shop helps the community
  • Any plans you may have for Local Bike Shop Day
  • Any photos/ logos to include

Local Bike Shop Day Stories hopes to capture the essence of local bike shops and all that they contribute to the community.

Need some ideas to get you started? Visit out Local Bike Shop Day ideas piece that lists just a few ways in which you can get involved with Local Bike Shop Day and celebrate all that your shop has to offer.

Sign up for Local Bike Shop Day now

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