PHOENIX, AZ (BRAIN)—Bicycle Retailer & Industry News editors will find out how retailers fare in this year-round cycling market on the magazine’s Phoenix Dealer Tour that kicks off today.
BRAIN staff and sponsors Giant Bicycles, Michelin, Ergon, FRS and Interbike will get on bikes to personally visit a dozen retailers in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area this week. They will talk with storeowners about the state of retail, issues they face, and their sales expectations going into this season. The conversations will provide valuable insight in today’s uncertain retail sales environment
“We’ve had triple-digit growth in IBD for the past two years and have forecast the same for 2010, relying on the insight of our distributors almost exclusively,” said Jim Murphy, vice president sales, health & fitness for FRS. “The Dealer Tour allows us to gain the dealer perspective, not only for our products, but for the business in general. We can then compare notes with other vendors who are on the Dealer Tour to get yet a third point of view. We expect it to be very insightful.”
The event builds on successful BRAIN Dealer Tours in Orange County, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Boston. Giant will return as the tour’s presenting sponsor, providing bikes and support for participants to experience the cycling infrastructure in Phoenix and neighboring Scottsdale, a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community.
The three-day event begins today with visits to four Scottsdale retailers including Top 100 Retailer DNA Cycles, Bicycle Ranch, Bicycle Showcase and Five-Star Retailer Landis Cyclery.
Be sure to check back here all week for online coverage including daily web reports, video clips and photo galleries on the BRAIN Blog. You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bicycleretailer.
