Foffa Bikes

...or maybe not?

C-word seems rather excessive. This thread just reads like 'have a go at the bike guy'. The bike world/market is so big, there's room for us all to play. How long has Foffa been going? 3 years plus? Anyone that can do that is doing way better than most, so something must be working. Hats off to anyone who has the balls and commitment to start and continue to run their own business, bikes or otherwise.

*why the fuck you - as a business - would buy anything at "full retail" is beyond me.

Very much this, I don't understand why you're reculant to said you get stock on trade, it's no secret it's how business stay open.

He does get his stock at trade, it's just that with his volumes his trade price is more than the big discounters retail prices. People like CRC/Bikediscount don't buy from their national wholesaler, do they? They have OEM accounts directly with the manufacturers.

None of you guys sell bikes though do you? Ed sells them for others as part of a huge company. its easy to pick holes from a distance.

has this been resolved yet?

yes, i think so. the resolution would appear to be if you don't like the price, don't buy the product. move on.

indeed.

He does get his stock at trade, it's just that with his volumes his trade price is more than the big discounters retail prices. People like CRC/Bikediscount don't buy from their national wholesaler, do they? They have OEM accounts directly with the manufacturers.

I understand this, it's why I said change supplier, to CRC.

I've worked in small shops and we used CRC a lot, it's often cheaper than low volume trade or only slightly dearer but even then you get free shipping (instead of the £5+ that wholesalers charge) and next day delivery when Madison will often take a few days even though they charging you more.

You can still add a small "handling fee" to the CRC price and be charging less than "full retail" to the customer.

With CRC, Wiggle, HighonBikes, Parker etc I dare say you could run a profitable business without any trade accounts.

As for the whole "online is killing the LBS" shite, no it's not, the LBS refusing to do anything beside stock the same old Altura/Giro/FSA/etc crap at full retail that can be found with 40-70% off in 5 minutes online or even in printed magazines is.

Only briefly worked in Siempre, Glasgow's answer to LMNH etc but they stocked really different brands, Morvelo, Fabric Horse, Georgia in Dublin, Cyclodelic, Anna Nichoola etc, not cheap stuff by any means but they sold loads of it.

The team at Foffa Bikes always listens to constructive feedback from anyone in the bike community. So if anyone has suggestions that will help Foffa Bikes become a better brand, feel free to contact any of us directly rather than hiding behind made up usernames on forums like this one.

All the best,

Dani

Have you thought about doing something away from cycling? Without wishing to sound cruel, you've clearly been trying this for a while now, and still don't really seem to have much of a clue.

Whole bike pricing is usually frame+groupset+wheels, everything else free. And whole bike street price needs to reflect frame+groupset+wheels street pricing. Well, for people who have a clue, anyway. The thing is, the Foffa brand strategy is all about exploiting punters who don't have a clue, and aspirational luxury pricing is a valid attack on that market sector, so slapping a price tag on the build is more about persuading them that Foffa does £3.5k bikes and hoping some of that cachet will rub off on the £700 ones.

this sums up the great british high street away from the internetz

He does get his stock at trade, it's just that with his volumes his trade price is more than the big discounters retail prices. People like CRC/Bikediscount don't buy from their national wholesaler, do they? They have OEM accounts directly with the manufacturers.

Whilst you are correct about CRC's sources, I can tell you that their retail is still very much more than trade+vat from a typical wholesaler. Regardless of volume.

I think if some of you saw the paperwork with cost price, trade price and RRP breakdowns from somewhere like Madison, you'd be rather surprised.
Retailers aren't charities, they need profit. However, intelligent and successful retailers are able to make profit without relying on customer's naivety.

true.
they do also need to be better than the internetz, so many punters now take try outs, have fittings, chat shit to staff then go and buy same thing on line,its a hard business
#bikebizthread

if you are going to attempt to make a 3 grand bike don't just stuff it with cash. i.e. hang expensive bits off a cheapo frame. for 3 grand i'd want something like a custom fit 953. fuck silly carbon wheels, totally impractical and look ridiculous on a bike that is basically a a retro machine

If I can have a bit of input,I like Dani idea for the brand and how he has managed to get it moving forward and certainly in the right areas of the press,and in the early days i helped him out with finding a supplier for some items,I recently enquired about setting up a bike shop in my area and found it easy to find much better pricing on components,I wish I was based in London to be honest because I know where the brand is going wrong,and it could easily be put right.

moving forward .

You've just lost all my respect

for 3 grand i'd want something like a custom fit 953

Given how much of that £3k you'd be blowing on the frame and fork, you might have pushed the balance just past the tipping point the other way, although I suppose it depends on what the bike is for. But certainly with a £3k budget, I don't think anybody here would be starting with a Foffa frame, regardless of purpose.

You've just lost all my respect

The brand, not the bikes.

I don't think anybody here would be starting with a Foffa frame, regardless of purpose.

^this, and that's not only because of it being Foffa, but also because of the material.. Cromor on a 3k bike is crazy.

just reading this thread and do foffa claim VAT returns on their stock purchase ? would make sense if you did , and the true cost prices of the bikes therefor are ?

Whilst you are correct about CRC's sources, I can tell you that their retail is still very much more than trade+vat from a typical wholesaler. Regardless of volume.

I think if some of you saw the paperwork with cost price, trade price and RRP breakdowns from somewhere like Madison, you'd be rather surprised.
Retailers aren't charities, they need profit. However, intelligent and successful retailers are able to make profit without relying on customer's naivety.

I have seen the paperwork, I've done the comparisons and placed the orders. CRCs free shipping very often makes them the cheaper option. Not do often but still quite regularly they are the cheaper option even without considering postage.

Dani

You can never, ever win by responding here to any of this.

3 years and nothing learned.

That's very sad.

kills God

yes, i think so. the resolution would appear to be if you don't like the price, don't buy the product. move on.

^ this.

But I'll chuck in my 2p on this comment:

...

As for the whole "online is killing the LBS" shite, no it's not, the LBS refusing to do anything beside stock the same old Altura/Giro/FSA/etc crap at full retail that can be found with 40-70% off in 5 minutes online or even in printed magazines is. ...

The same criticisms get levied at supermarkets too. While I wouldn't try and argue that sometimes that the big guys economies of scale monopolies things, but ultimately consumers make the choices.

Good businesses can survive if they carve out the right niche. I’ve got no idea what type of margin Mosquito make, but they clearly have a very clear brand and differentiate themselves from Evans, et al. Regardless of anyone’s views on BLB, they too have a clear brand ID.

Supermarkets are killing the LBS?

I'm not surprised to be honest, the poor attitude I get in Evans Wimbledon when I ask for the location of the meat counter is a disgrace.

Surely they would point you towards Scoble the Bike Butcher?