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North Yorkshire cycle hub up for top tourism award

22 Mar 2024

Rob Brown, co-director of Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, a not-for-profit hire scheme has been nominated for the Tourism Superstar 2024 award, run by VisitEngland.
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Independent retail bodies welcome new report aimed at tackling retail crime.

21 Mar 2024

ACS (The Association of Convenience Stores) and the Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) have both welcomed a new report published by the Association of Police and Crime... Read more…

Indie retailers outperformed supermarkets in sales of organic food, wellness and beauty products in 2023.

21 Mar 2024

As reported by Healthstores UK, new data contained in the 2024 Soil Association Organic Market report shows that independent retailers delivered an impressive 10% growth in 2023, with... Read more…

Cheltenham beer shop and bar wins top UK award.

21 Mar 2024

An independent bottle shop and bar in Cheltenham has been named as the UK's Independent Beer and Wine Retailer of the Year 2024 at the Drinks Retailing Awards. 
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Welsh Government Announce £20m Future Proofing Fund for Retail Businesses in Wales

21 Mar 2024

A number of organisations, including Bira (the British Independent Retailers’ Association), other trade associations, BIDs and unions have met with officials from the Welsh Government to... Read more…

High Street Faces 'Unprecedented Challenges' says Trade Association

21 Mar 2024

The British Independent Retailers’ Association (Bira) has reacted to data released by PwC and the Local Data Company exploring the state of the UK retail landscape.
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Greeting Card Association expresses concern on new evidence Royal Mail prioritising parcel deliveries over letters.

6 Mar 2024

The Greeting Card Association has reacted to a BBC Panorama programme lifting the lid on Royal Mail management prioritising parcel delivery over letters, which it says are in contradiction of... Read more…

Kate Bush named as Record Store Day ambassador.

4 Mar 2024

Pop star Kate Bush has been announced as an ambassador for this year's Record Store Day, on 20 April.
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Shortlist for Independent Bookshop of the Year 2024 revealed.

4 Mar 2024

The British Book Awards has announced its shortlist for Independent Bookshop of the Year. 
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Local Bike Shop Day 2024 confirmed for Saturday May 4th.

4 Mar 2024

The ACT is happy to confirm the date for Local Bike Shop Day 2024 as Saturday 4 May, the weekend of the early May Bank Holiday.
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New report claims UK lagging behind Europe in cycling infrastructure development

Posted on in Brands & Products News, Cycles News

A new survey of 2,000 British cyclists, which is part of a wider European report, claims that only just over a quarter of people in the UK think their local cycling infrastructure has improved in the past year.

The annual “State of the Nation” report by Shimano says that compared to the UK's 27%, an average of 39% across all the other countries involved felt that cycling infrastructure had improved. Lack of infrastructure is believed to be one of the major factors preventing people from cycling.

Cycle lane

This research is part of the wider report which is to be used to assess attitudes and insights towards the use of electric bikes across Europe.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Jonathan Davis, PR and communications manager for Shimano Europe said the findings were fascinating and enabled the company to identify key trends in the e-bike market.

“We are delighted to be launching our fourth State of the Nation report. Based on a poll of over 15,500 people across Europe, it aims to examine the motivations of e-bike users and better understand the attitudes to e-bikes and cycling more widely,” he said

''The findings are fascinating and allow us to identify key trends in the market. The awareness of (and even attitudes towards) those who interact with an e-bike in some way are shifting upwards.”

When respondents were asked about the factors that might encourage someone to buy or hire an e-bike now compared to a year ago, economic factors such as cost of living and purchase subsidies came out as the main factors.

37% of people in the UK also cited knowing that they would reduce their environmental impact, as a factor that might encourage someone to buy or hire an e-bike, compared to 33% across Europe.

Across Europe, within those citing environmental impact as a factor in choosing e-bikes, the percentage was highest at 37% amongst the ages 18-24, and higher for women at 36% compared to 30% for men. The factor of environmental concerns also came out higher in both Italy and Spain, which could be seen as a response to extreme weather events recently seen in both countries.

Shimano has been exploring the perceptions and stereotypes that exist around e-bike usage. In the UK the main factors that came to the top of the surface were environmentally conscious people, commuters, and elderly people.

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