LAFAYETTE, Colo. (BRAIN) — The National Bicycle Dealers Association has published its 2017 list of America's Best Bike Shops. The designation recognizes retailers who offer great shopping experiences and expert staff, and who also are highly rated on dedication to their communities and support for bicycle advocacy locally and nationally, the NBDA said.
The America's Best program is designed to help consumers find great stores in their communities that provide the expertise and professionalism to get the most benefit from cycling.
Sponsors of the program include Abus, J&B Importers, The NPD Group, Quality Bicycle Products, RockyMounts, Barnett Bicycle Institute, SmartEtailing, Interbike and Bicycle Retailer & Industry News.
"With the program now in its fifth year, retailers responded well to our new question format and we spurred the quantity and quality of applications that we had hoped. Retailers clearly spent more time and effort in the application process, taking full advantage of the introspection that it takes to look at your business through an unbiased lens and communicate what makes your business unique among all others," said Todd Grant, the president of the NBDA. "For the winners of 2017 America's Best Bike Shop, congratulations and keep up the great work that you are all doing! You're leading bicycle retail into the future!"
Shops were asked to fill out a detailed application describing what sets them apart from the average retailer. They also had to supply photos of their shops. Mystery shoppers then evaluated the businesses in more detail by visiting the stores, reviewing their websites and contacting the shop by phone to assess the performance from a consumer's perspective.
An invite-only awards reception hosted by the NBDA will take place during Interbike, on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
The attached pdf lists honorees dating back to 2013; shops highlighted in red have won all five years the program has existed.
For more information about America's Best, contact Sara Michaels of the NBDA at sara@nbda.com or the NBDA office at info@nbda.com.
