MANCHESTER, NH (BRAIN)—Since announcing its formation as a co-op at Interbike, The Bike Cooperative has focused on expanding its preferred supplier base.
Thus far, 12 brands, including Thule, Topeak, Marin and Louis Garneau, have joined the co-op.
“We are extremely impressed with the quality of suppliers who’ve agreed to be part of TBC from the outset, and how enthusiastic they are to be strategic partners of our membership,” said Greg Brodsky, TBC managing director. “It truly reflects the spirit of the cooperative, and we’re very confident that enthusiasm will lead to continued growth of TBC.”
Participants in the rebate level of TBC will earn rebates on more than $4 million in purchases made through preferred suppliers.
“When the co-op was formed, we made a commitment to our members that we would be able to distribute rebates back to them in year one, and we are extremely pleased to announce that we will make good on that promise by handing out checks this fall,” Brodsky said.
TBC also aims to provide benefits to its supplier partners.
“A number of the programs that we’ve developed for our retailers can provide substantial value to our suppliers,” added Kevin Wren, TBC’s director of supplier relations. “The economies of scale that save our retailers thousands of dollars every year on programs like credit card processing can also be leveraged by our suppliers to reduce their expenses considerably. Plus, our customizable email, loyalty and direct mail programs can provide our partners with significant exposure and drive sales for their brands by getting them in front of our dealers’ customers with high frequency at very low costs.”
Thule’s director of North American specialty sales, Larry Hewett, has found the relationship with TBC to be beneficial.
“Thule is fortunate to be partnered with The Bike Cooperative. The array of marketing tools available to help us communicate the Thule message to TBC member partners and their consumer base is world-class. They’ve developed some great back-end business tools that make it easier for us to grow our business,” Hewett said.
“We have seen an increased commitment to the co-op from the retailers who decided to join TBC,” added Wayne D Gray, vice president of KHS Bicycles added. “This has translated into a higher percentage of purchases coming through to KHS as a result. This trend is exactly what we were hoping for. My hope is that we can attract more retailers to join and help us to push back on the ever increasing force that is being applied by bicycle vendors to demand greater floor space from our dealers.”
The Bike Cooperative consists of more than 200 member-owned bicycle stores throughout the United States. It provides members with exclusive product specials and rebates, consumer financing and credit card processing programs, comprehensive advertising services, and training in management and sales. For more information call (800) 450-7595 or visit www.thebikecooperative.com.
