Rapha, nice but a bit pricey?

Looks like Rapha Travel is shutting down. So, no stock, shutting down parts of the business, and a really shit website. Not looking brilliant really.

And a load of redundancies

Yep, that too. Hardly giving the impression of a thriving and successful business. Hey ho.

I think it started with the website redesign, it's terrible.

Hopefully just refocusing on the core business and increased profitability in the wake of the takeover, but it doesn't look great. The comment about 're-educating' consumers to pay full whack in that Telegraph piece seems like it might be a bit optimistic, given how we've just come out of what feels like 18 months of neverending sales...

^ Totally agree; I far preferred the old one, and don't see what functionality was added in the redesign.

something funny happens with the menus still, depending on what links you follow.

I disagree. I think 'terrible' doesn't really do justice to its awfulness. It's like they've decided to compensate for it being totally unusable by having lots of really big pointless photos which take forever to load. It's a total mess.

I think those clown outfits started the ball rolling.

I think it started with the website redesign, it's terrible.

I concur, overly complex, almost as if the business had lost contact with the people who made it something to purchase in the first place?

I thought the re-education comment was regarding the takeover rather than customers?

Definitely talking about re-educating customers.
I’m not sure if that means paying full listed price or full price but initial price being lower to start with... I know very little about retail but the data side of it would be interesting.

The website is frustrating. The size filter during the sale would take you to a range where there was the size but not in a sale colour way. The pathways seem unrefined.

I don't really think the poor website is an indication or metaphor of the PE's business model for Rapha. The average length of time for a PE house to hold an middle market (eg Rapha) investment is 3-6 years. So what they mean by "long term" strategy and investment is making Rapha peak their profitability in about 5 years time, at which point the Walmart grandsons PE house will flip it (in various portions to various other PE vehicles) for a profit. Not all takeovers are successful, but certainly the new owners will be doing their utmost to get as much out of the business ASAP. Creating a shit website is not part of that strategy, more likely just poor management or bad tendering process for the redesign. IMO Rapha is more likely to seem great in the next couple of years then start to suffer (at least financially or in terms of debt) in about 4 years time as it get prepped for another sale to another host of owners.

Who will then repeat the cycle above.

Did they replatform the site and redesign it at the same time?

That can result in the kind of muddle they seem to be in now with it.

Yeah that's a good guess. You're an industry pro, but I can see after only a year at a software development company how easy it is for a group of people to stick their input into a design and structure, happily push it along to launch and then realise that they have asked for and then received a really bad site.

I’m trying to remember how they did it because I interviewed for a job on it...bullet dodged I guess. I got the impression those on the coal face on the digital side were under experienced and poorly positioned internally.

Looks like artificially plumping the company for sale these past 2yrs has been detrimental to the brand in the eyes of the new owners (profits vs. turnover, perma-sale). Looking forward to seeing how the ‘re-conditioning’ goes. Hopefully the size of a ‘full msrp’ marketplace is enough to sustain the company and some of the good folks that remain.

I found the new site to be very difficult to navigate- I was trying to find luggage and simply could not do so. My girlfriend could, however, so I was able to find out that what I wanted wasn’t in stock.

The redundancy news is terrible for those affected- I hope they all get better jobs with better companies.

I’ve been on Rapha Travel trips and the team who delivered them was excellent- but they were terribly marketed and promoted. Still, a loss to Rapha.

I do wonder what is next for Rapha, they’ve managed to get a bunch of dedicated people to work long hours for little pay- and now sacked many of them. Once they lose employee loyalty they have little to replace it with, given pay and conditions are hardly likely to improve now.

I suspected something was up when they shut the cafe section of the shops at 16:30- I was just surprised that they did something so obviously “oh shit we are going bust” to a customer facing team- normally the last place to face the axe as if consumer lose faith in their ability to get warranty support you are screwed for new (non-deep-discount) sales.

Overall this is a real shame and the damage to the people is real, but blame is squarely with Rapha management who drove the company to this point.

What's the cafe section got to do with warranty support? My friend worked as cafe manager at spitalfields and was trying to get them to close the cafe section early for months, it just isn't busy enough to warrant staying open for the odd RCC member wanting their extra free coffee.

When places prioritise saving £10.20/hour over meeting customer expectations that sends a pretty direct message that said £10.20 is needed, and likely needed badly.

Sends very much the wrong signal.

And as I said, if they have to cut where people can see it/experience it/be frustrated and annoyed by it, then it suggests that they’re cutting the bits you can’t directly interact with even more severely.

Do we need to start a Le Col, Nice but just as pricey thread soon?

Will it ever get to that point?

My friend worked as cafe manager at spitalfields

You need to pay the Flat White Tax® @laner

#SponsoredAthelete

Le Col, pricey but is it nice?

rep

Le Col, twice as pricey