Retail News

DEWITT, MI (BRAIN) — When the winter weather finally relented in this town north of Lansing, retailer Jon Vandercar looked forward to selling some of his inventory of 2013 model road bikes, which he received just before his region’s long cold season began last fall.

ST. PAUL, MN (BRAIN) — By the end of summer, Erik’s Bike Shop should have opened its 20^th location in a onetime autoworkers’ union hall across from the defunct Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plan right on the Mississippi River in St.

AUSTIN, TX (BRAIN) — After 42 years serving Austin-area cyclists, retailer Freewheeling Bicycles will close its doors at the end of May.

CHICAGO, IL (BRAIN) — Top 100 retailer Roll: has opened a fourth location, its first outside of Ohio.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — Snow in the Northeast and the Rockies—even in Phoenix—along with rain and flooding in the Midwest have created late-winter challenges for bike retailers and their suppliers.

BOSTON, MA (BRAIN) — Retailers in the Boston area were able to re-open Saturday, after authorities lifted a "shelter in place" order that was in effect during a manhunt for a suspect in Monday's Boston Marathon bombing.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — Thanks to 2012’s unseasonably warm winter, IBD sales suffered from unfavorable year-ago comparisons this February but showed strength when viewed against the more realistic 2011 period, according to data from research firm Leisure Trends Group.

AUSTIN, TX (BRAIN) — Cycleast, a new custom shop in the Texas capital, is also entering the distribution business, bringing in handmade carbon fiber and steel road and track bikes from the Czech Republic’s Festka Bicycles as the brand’s U.S. importer.

PORTLAND, OR (BRAIN) — Portland city-bike specialist Joe Bike, which relocated to a larger space in January, has now opened a separate cycling clothing store, JoeBike Apparel, in its former location on Stumptown’s fashionable Hawthorne Boulevard.