No discounts! Bike shops boycott Black Friday as majority of independent bike shops 'believe event negatively impacts their businesses'

Most independent cycle retailers in the United Kingdom are boycotting Black Friday this year, according to a survey by the Association of Cycle Traders, with 82 per cent believing that the sales event negatively impacts independent businesses.

The cycle trade association surveyed bike shops and reported that 69 per cent of independent cycle businesses will resist the discounts this week, many reporting being unable to compete with major retailers and already at the limit with rising costs and economic pressures.

Of the ACT's membership, 82.35 per cent said they believe that Black Friday negatively impacts independent businesses, around seven per cent higher than the retail sector average of 75.4 per cent. The results are in line with a broader national survey, run by the ACT's parent company Bira, which found that 70.5 per cent of independent retailers are boycotting Black Friday this year.

ACT Director Jonathan Harrison said local bike shops are "caught between rising operational costs and the pressure to match unsustainable online discounts" and don't want to take part in the "race to the bottom".

"Our members are sending a clear message about the unsustainability of Black Friday discounting in the cycle trade," he said. "Many report that the event disrupts normal trading patterns, with shops experiencing quiet periods in October and November as customers delay purchases in anticipation of Black Friday deals.

"We're seeing local bike shops caught between rising operational costs and the pressure to match unsustainable online discounts. Our members are choosing to focus on providing year-round value, expert service, and sustainable business practices rather than engaging in what one retailer described as 'a race to the bottom.'"

Other retailers told the trade organisation that their prices are "already at rock bottom" and there is no way for independents to compete with the larger retailers' buying power.

"Bike shops now go quiet in October and November because of Black Friday with an expectation of heavy discounting," one member commented.

Andrew Goodacre, Bira Group's CEO added: "This unified stance against Black Friday discounting reflects a broader trend we're seeing across the independent retail sector. The recent autumn budget announcements, including increased staffing costs, have only reinforced the resolve of independent retailers to resist unsustainable discounting practices."

On the subject of the Budget, 90 per cent of cycle traders asked said it had not changed their view on Black Friday, the ACT reporting one respondent accused the Budget of having "rang the death knell of many businesses with National Insurance, minimum wage and business rates hikes".