Rapha has announced that it is closing down its Manchester clubhouse next weekend, with four branches in the US set to follow, as part of the cycling clothing brand’s aim to “focus on richer customer experiences at flagship locations, regional rides and events, and online worldwide”.
The decision to close five of its clubhouses, which operate as shops, cafes, and meeting points for rides and events, comes just months after Rapha’s carrying value was reduced by two thirds, from £169m to £67m, following eight years of consecutive losses.
US-based Rapha clubhouses in Boulder, Chicago, Miami, and Seattle are also set to close this year, the announcement coming just a week before the brand’s unveiling of the new USA Cycling kit, the first fruits of the pair’s four-year partnership signed last year, which will see American cyclists donning Rapha kit at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“Rapha’s Clubhouses are cultural anchors for the Rapha community worldwide, run by brilliant, hardworking teams that are our brand’s greatest advocates. They are places to belong, to be inspired, and to discover our products,” Rapha’s CEO Fran Millar said in a statement.
“So, this announcement is really tough. The following Clubhouses will be closing before April 2026: Boulder, Chicago, Manchester, Miami and Seattle.
“This brand was built on meaningful customer experiences and storytelling both online and offline. At our best, no one does it better – and being at our best is my key priority. Closing these Clubhouses means we can focus on richer customer experiences at flagship locations, regional rides and events, and online worldwide.”
According to Rapha, despite closing its clubhouse doors, the company will not be “walking away” from those five cities, instead insisting that there will remain ways for locals to shop for Rapha products in-person.
“Importantly, we want to retain a network of Ride Leaders to deliver a programme of rides for the remainder of the year,” Rapha said in a statement. “Local venues will become RCC Partner Cafes and we will deepen/expand relationships with retail partners too.”
Rapha’s Manchester clubhouse, on King Street, is set to close on Sunday 18 January, the brand saying it has informed any impacted RCC members and customers on Friday.
“I have been honest that we need to make changes at Rapha to bring greater focus. ‘Simpler, better’ is the guiding principle behind this decision,” Millar, who was appointed CEO of Rapha in 2024 following spells leading the Ineos Grenadiers and Belstaff, continued.
“It is a painful decision but it is the right call for the brand and our customers in the long-run. A plan is in place to support local teams, customers and communities and we will share more information with RCC members directly.”
The closure of the five clubhouses comes just over a month after Rapha partnered with Factor to launch a new clubhouse in Shanghai, as part of the two companies’ attempts to expand in China.
Last year, it was revealed that, in the year to 26 January 2025, Rapha’s turnover dropped to £96m from £110m the year before, contributing to a net loss of £15.6m. It marked the brand’s eighth consecutive year in the red and comes just 12 months after another £19.7m loss.
In an unusual move, Rapha invited several journalists to its headquarters to explain its financial predicament and offer more insight into its plans for the future, road.cc among them.
During the meeting, Millar was keen to stress everyone at Rapha “knows the things we need to change” and suggested the financial results will “lag behind the huge amount of great work that is already being done to turn the business around”.
“I am proud to be leading the change needed and laying the foundations for a new chapter for Rapha,” she said. “We are only one year into a multi-year turnaround, with new leadership and a new business and marketing strategy – we know the things we need to change, the strengths we need to build on, and we are already making bold moves in the right direction.
“What you see in these financial results lags behind the huge amount of great work that is already being done to turn this business around. Everyone at Rapha is united and clear on the path we need to take and we are collectively implementing some tough but important changes that will set us up for success in the coming years.
“Transformation takes time, and we aren’t expecting to see immediate results but the strategic decisions we are taking, including the ones we are announcing today, will enable us to become profitable again as a business and support our vision to use the transformative power of cycling to make a difference to the world.”
16 thoughts on “Rapha to shut Manchester clubhouse and half of its American branches – week before unveiling new USA Cycling team kit”
When a company generates
When a company generates losses eight years in a row, it’s about time for the board to jump off the sinking ship, and let a new team build the future and work out a profitable strategy.
Rapha has never turned a
Rapha has never turned a profit so the only surprise is that they’re not closing more.
They may have lived off
They may have lived off selling the dream of future returns to investors willing to take a punt – but there’s only long you can do that before the goodwill and optimism runs thin.
HOW! LeCol lost 8million,
HOW! LeCol lost 8million, Endura 14million and Rapha 15million in one year! Does any clothing brand make money?
Because it was obvious when
Because it was obvious when buying Rapha stuff that the massively inflated prices were funding the stupid flagship stores and the board’s astronomical salaries, and not for any particular quality in the clothing or effort in the design.
Add terrible stock control to this and you’ve not so much put the last nail in the coffin as buried it and backfilled the grave with concrete to stop anything escaping.
I haven’t managed to go there
I haven’t managed to go there in a while but the Soho clubhouse is a great place.
When brands start with
When brands start with pretentious ‘Club Houses’ and ‘Flagship Stores’ and ‘Experience Centers’ you just know where it’s heading.
People don’t want a clothing brand to do all that… they just want them to make damn good / nice looking / well thought out / long lasting stuff. And if it manages to do all that, many people are even willing to pay damn good money for it.
Just cut the crap and focus on making the best stuff.
Have you ever been to the
Have you ever been to the Manchester clubhouse? Nice staff, good place to have a coffee and watch the race. Remember you’re talking about people losing their jobs which should garner a bit of sympathy.
Remember you’re talking about
Remember you’re talking about people losing their jobs which should garner a bit of sympathy
There seems to be a temporal disconnection here- a claim, after the job losses have been annouced, that this particular business model is likely to lead to those jobs being created then suddenly lost, cannot be described as a lack of sympathy. I don’t think Sredlums (or me) can be criticised for not buying Rapha and not visiting the Manchester clubhouse. I would never have done either of those even if the company was thriving.
Have you ever been to the
Have you ever been to the Manchester clubhouse? Nice staff, good place to have a coffee and watch the race. Remember you’re talking about people losing their jobs which should garner a bit of sympathy.
Have you ever been to the
Have you ever been to the Manchester clubhouse? Nice staff, good place to have a coffee and watch the race. Remember you’re talking about people losing their jobs which should garner a bit of sympathy.
Received a corporate
Received a corporate Christmas message into my inbox 2 weeks ago from the new new CEO. It talked about progress and “incredible momentum” and excitement about the new Shangai Clubhouse. Then this drops…not a Rapha fan particularly but was thinking that if she can start to make progress then perhaps its worth having another look. Mixed messages to customers never great.
Decisions clearly being forced now as the ebitda drops. Don’t like to see any business close locations and lose good people and only hope they can get it together. They seem to be trying to be everything to everyone.
The shape of cyclists is
The shape of cyclists is changing.
Many of us have dimensions greater than mainstream clothing manufacturers seem to want to provide for.
So … we go elsewhere.
Instead of dropping £300 on a pair of bibs from a manufacturer that refuses to acknowledge that its possible for a waist size to exceed 40″ /101cm, we’ll go spend that on cheaper kit, that does the same job, for a third of the price.
Its yet another sign of the elitistism within cycling … the message is “You’re too fat – and so you’ll be too poor – to buy *our* stuff”.
I used the Rapha sizing guide, and there is not one item of kit in their store [excluding gloves and hats] that would fit me.
Oldfatgit wrote:
Now that’s a fat and poor… exaggeration.
The picture you show of
The picture you show of ‘Rapha Clubhouse Manchester’ is not the current clubhouse. The photo is when the clubhouse was just off St Ann’s Place (round the back of the church), and this used to be a great place to visit – even if just to have a coffee and cake and watch a bit of racing. It also had enough space for the RCC club memebers to congregate before and/or after a ride. It also had a workshop downstairs. They moved out of there quite some time ago, disappointingly, probably due to the rent on sch a large retail space, and went into the current clubhouse, which is nothing more than a shop with a coffee machine and very few places to sit – it can’t really be described as a clubhouse. In fact I didn’t go in at all the last time I went to Mcr, I found that each time I went in the staff were hovvering a little too much, and the stock in there was limited due to the downsize in space. Given this, I’m not surprised it will be one of those closing – the writing was on the wall ever since the move from the old gaff.
Kendalred wrote:
[…]They moved out of there quite some time ago, disappointingly, probably due to the rent
[…]I’m not surprised it will be one of those closing – the writing was on the wall ever since the move from the old gaff. — Kendalred
Who would’ve thought that renting oversized promises to run an unprofitable place would result in being forced to move!
Honestly, I guess you’re misinterpreting the situation. Just because the place is cool does not mean it’s profitable. And being great places to visit is not exactly the purpose of running a business, no matter how cool they are.