LONDON (BRAIN) — Brendan Quirk, the co-founder of Competitive Cyclist, is joining Rapha as president of its North American business, the company announced Friday. He will start Sept. 1.
Quirk co-founded Competitive Cyclist in 1999 and served as its CEO for many years. After the retailer was sold to Backcountry.com in 2011, he became general manager of Backcountry's bike division and then was named executive vice president of customer experience at Backcountry.
Simon Mottram, the founder and CEO of Rapha, said, "Rapha has established a solid and successful business in the U.S. since we first came over in 2006 ... The U.S. is the world's largest road cycling market and therefore it needs our full focus at the executive level. We are raising new capital specifically to invest in our U.S. business, to expand the number of Rapha Cycle Clubs in key American cycling cities, as well as further the reach of our e-commerce business.
"Brendan and I have been friends and business colleagues for a decade, which counts for a lot. In addition, the growth of the Competitive Cyclist brand was due, in large part, to its engaging content and effective retention marketing. This aligns closely to what we do at Rapha. Between this and the experience he gained at Backcountry in scaling an e-commerce business, we're confident in how he'll lead our increased investment in the U.S."
Quirk said Rapha is "the most compelling brand in the road cycling market."
"The design and the quality of Rapha apparel and accessories are industry-leading. But what makes the brand so amazing is the variety of ways it gives joy to road cyclists. The writing and photography on Rapha.cc evoke the romance of the sport, the intensity of the experience you get inside a Cycle Club is the next best thing to being roadside during a stage of the Tour de France, and the sense of community Rapha creates at every touchpoint of the brand brings together road cyclists from all over the world."
"The growth of Rapha in the U.S. over the last two years shows the appetite for the brand here, both in retail and online. Much of the credit for this success goes to Hillary Benjamin. I'm excited to learn from her and work alongside her."
The North American president is a new position for Rapha. A company spokesman said there were not other changes to the Rapha NA staff and Benjamin will continue in her role as head of sales and marketing for North America. The company said it will expand her team.
