CHANDLER, AZ (BRAIN)—Arizona retailer Global Bikes has expanded its footprint with a third location, which opened its doors for business Monday in Chandler, a prominent suburb of Phoenix.
The 5,000-square-foot shop is located in a strip mall about six miles from the old Chandler store and right off of the 101 loop, a main north/south artery.
Co-owner Mark Funicello said the new store was about a year in the making as he and business partner Alan Lepak considered their options as the five-year lease on the old Chandler location expired.
“At first it was going to just be a move,” Funicello said. “At this point, it looks like we’ll be able to keep them both,” he said about the Chandler stores. The old Chandler store is much smaller at 1,800 square feet.
“Our old shop was so packed, if you walked from one end to another you’d easily knock down a bike or products off of racks,” Funicello said. “We ran out of room and people had no where to stand or shop.”
Global Bikes operates a second and third store in Chandler and Gilbert. Its main bike brand is Specialized, but none of the stores are concept or elite stores. Global Bikes also carries KHS, Redline, Eastern and Intense BMX.
Greatly impacted by the housing bubble bust, commercial real estate prices have come down quite a bit as landlords struggle to lease space. “Property management here was really kind of hungry,” Funicello said, adding that their landlord revamped the space, investing about $200,000 into the build out, taking square feet from a neighboring business and adding it to their space before Global Bikes moved in. “We were able to get a lot more square footage for a lot less.”
The new store has a dedicated area for clinics and will host various speakers and classes. It also has a fit studio, an office, two bathrooms—one with a shower, and plenty of room for growth. The owners also have the option to expand. Next to Whole Foods, the new store sees quite a bit of traffic from the natural foods grocer and nearby businesses including Starbucks, Qdoba, alternative wellness center Bodhi Body, a bakery and several salons that lease space in the same outdoor complex.
Lepak opened the first Global Bikes store in Gilbert in 2001 and remains the sole proprietor of that location, which is just under 5,000 square feet. Funicello became a partner with Lepak on the second store in Chandler and also now co-owns the third store with Lepak.
While the nation’s economy is still recovering, Funicello has a positive outlook on the business overall and the new store. “The day we opened we did better than the existing shop did,” he said. Sales across all stores are up, he added, thanks to its marketing efforts and community outreach.
A grand opening party is scheduled for March 21.
—Lynette Carpiet
lcarpiet@bicycleretailer.com
