ABBOTSFORD, B.C. (BRAIN) Wednesday April 11 2012 6:24 AM MT—Norco Bicycles has opened its third partnership store, Norco Cap’s Abbotsford in British Columbia.
Under Norco’s partnership program, shop owners receive assistance with startup or renovation costs, marketing support, priority in inventory fulfillment and an enhanced web presence on Norco.com in exchange for dedicating 75 percent of retail space to Norco brands, which include proprietary labels Axion and Adams Trail-A-Bike in addition to Norco’s bicycle line.
Grant Hobbis, owner of Cap’s Abbotsford and another Cap’s Bicycles store 25 miles away in Langley, British Columbia, said he was drawn to the Norco partnership because it offers deep product knowledge and “the support to raise the game of the store, to bring it to a more professional level.”
Cap’s Bicycles Langley also has a lengthy track record with Norco, having carried the brand since the shop opened in 1964. That store sells six bike lines in addition to Norco, but the 5,000-square-foot Abbotsford store will carry only Kona in addition to Norco, Hobbis said.
“In Abbotsford we focus on Norco because it’s as B.C. as anything out there. They have all the models that anybody wants,” said Hobbis.
A grand-opening sale is planned for April 27, and Hobbis plans to hold summer events featuring Norco-sponsored riders.
“We are very excited to partner with the Norco Cap’s Abbotsford team,” said Paul Nielsen, Norco’s national sales manager. “We are confident that Cap’s new shop will provide a dynamic and service-oriented environment. Abbotsford is one of the fastest growing communities in western Canada and deserving of a bicycle retailer that can deliver a quality shopping experience.”
Norco opened its first partnership store in August 2011 with Cap’s Westwood in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, which is under different ownership than Cap’s Abbotsford.
