VANCOUVER, British Columbia (BRAIN) — Mobile bike repair franchiser Velofix is offering to assemble and deliver new bikes that consumers order online. Velofix, which has nearly 50 franchise operators in North America, is looking to make agreements with brands in the markets where it has franchises. It calls the program Velofix Direct Delivery.
"E-commerce and the expectations from consumers for a direct model are forcing change in the bike industry. Today all bicycle manufacturers need to have a dependable and efficient last-mile delivery program in place," said Velofix co-founder Chris Guillemet. "The single biggest challenge to fulfill customers expectations for a direct sales model in the bike industry is the need for the bikes to be assembled, fit and for a safety check to be performed."
The company said Velofix Direct can be fully integrated with manufacturers' back-end systems.
"Equipment and accessory manufacturers will also benefit from the Velofix Direct program, as consumers will be more likely to purchase additional items such as pedals, bottle cages, spare tubes, pumps, lights, bike computers, power meters, locks and wheel upgrades," the company said.
Velofix said it's on track to have more than 100 franchises in North America by the end of the year.
