BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Retail sales at independent bike shops reached $3 billion last year, down 1 percent from $3.1 billion in 2016, according to the latest point-of-sale data from The NPD Group's U.S. Retail Tracking Service.
Dollar sales across complete bikes, bike accessories, bike parts and helmets/footwear/gloves were down for the year, while shop services were up 4 percent from $322.6 million to $336.2 million. Shop services represents tune-ups mostly, with shops putting in their hourly rate for service into their POS.
The IBD channel accounts for about half of the total sales of cycling products, according to NPD data, with rest of market and IBD totaling $5.9 billion last year.
Among the standout categories for 2017 were complete mountain bikes and e-bikes. Road bikes once again had a tough year. Average prices grew 4 percent across helmets/footwear/gloves and bike parts at IBDs, while they stayed on par with 2016 on complete bikes and accessories.
NPD also tracks total cycling sales (rest of market), which includes online, outdoor and sporting goods stores. Last year, total dollar sales was $5.9 billion, down 3 percent from 2016. Complete bikes, bike accessories, bike parts, and helmets/footwear/gloves were down 3, 7, 3 and 1 percent, respectively, but shop services were up 4 percent. This reflects growth of service outside of IBDs.
Look for more highlights on categories and breakdown of subcategories in the March 1 issue of Bicycle Retailer, with commentary from NPD Group.
