A bike shop in Bournemouth says it is working to ensure all customers can pick up their bikes in the wake of its sudden closure, amid concerns that bikes left for maintenance in the shop were “locked inside with no way to retrieve them”. However, any customers who paid deposits for new bikes will not receive refunds and have been advised to contact their card provider, in the wake of yet another blow for the UK’s local cycling industry.
Last Thursday evening, Primera Sports, located on Charminster Road in Bournemouth, shut its doors and ceased trading immediately. The independent retailer, which also provided servicing and repairs, was opened 34 years ago, before setting up another shop in Poole in 2007. According to its latest accounts, 14 employees worked for the company.
Neighbouring e-bike store E-performance, which operated under the same ownership and opened in 2023, originally specialising in German brand Haibike, was also closed on Friday morning.
According to insolvency firm Leonard Curtis, who are advising the retailer as it enters into liquidation, the company’s woes stemmed from increasing operating costs, growing competition from online retailers and lower-cost bike repair businesses, as well as wider cost of living pressures.
“The directors have taken the difficult decision to cease trading following a period of increasing financial pressure,” Leonard Curtis said in a statement.
The sudden closure was met with confusion and in some cases anger among the shop’s customers, many of whom had left their bikes to be repaired or had paid deposits for new bikes.
Customers who turned up to the retailer’s Charminster Road branch on Friday morning were greeted with a short notice attached to the shopfront which read: “We have unfortunately ceased trading. If you have a bike with us for service please email info@primera-sports.com. If you have paid a deposit for a bike, apologies we are unable to supply the bike, please contact your payment provider.”
The shop’s phone line had also been disconnected, while its website and social media accounts were shut down.
One customer, Dan Cabell, told the Bournemouth Daily Echo that he had arranged to pick up his bike, which was being serviced, on Friday, only to find the shop closed without warning.
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“I arranged with them to collect it today. When I arrived, everything was shut up, and nothing, all socials down, phone line disconnected, and no bike,” he said.
“They’d even told other customers to come and collect their new bikes, one gentleman who paid £4,000 was collecting it today.
“It is really disappointing that they haven’t had the decency to contact to inform anyone what is going on. All of their social medias have gone, website is down, and their phone number is blocked.”
Cabell, a firefighter who purchased his bike from the shop ahead of a planned five-day charity ride this month, continued: “Now I don’t have a bike to do it with. I am now unsure whether I’m going to be able to participate in the Grand Fire Ride, gutted.”
Cabell told the Echo that he had reported his bike as stolen to the police.
Another customer, Mike, added: “They phoned me yesterday to say the bike had been serviced and to come pick it up this morning, so I have come this morning and the shop is obviously closed. It’s a bit concerning, I have a £3,500 bike in there that I can’t get hold of at the moment.
“I have to say they have been very friendly and helpful up until today. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason as to why they’re closed at the moment.”
Meanwhile, one customer told the BBC he had paid a £6,000 deposit on 28 August for two e-bikes which he had not received. Dave had initially ordered the bikes for £10,479 on 28 July, but was told the delay was due to high demand for the “heavily discounted” Scott bikes.
“They took that balance from us and have just disappeared and gone. I’m very unhappy,” he said, while describing the closure in a comment on Facebook as a “complete planned scam”.
A social media campaign was then launched by local cyclist Ben Moore, who criticised the “cloak and dagger” nature of Primera Sports’ closure and called on the beleaguered retailer to “do the right thing” and hand the bikes back.
In videos posted on Facebook, Moore said: “While my thoughts are with the owners and team during a tough time, dozens of customers currently have bikes locked inside the shop with no way to retrieve them.”
Moore added that an 11-year-old boy had purchased a bike for £629 two days before the shop’s closure, after “saving up all summer”, and was now unable to pick it up.
Calling on the local cycling community to “get that kid on a bike”, Moore said: “I don’t understand what is going on, it seems cloak and dagger which is why it is a good job that people like myself talk about it in our media platforms.
“Applying a bit of pressure to this enforces people to do the right thing and it is proving that they are actually drip feeding the bikes back.”
Following this social media backlash, road.cc contacted Primera Sports, who said that most of the bikes that were being serviced in the shop have now been returned to their owners, and they are working on returning bikes to customers who are currently not in the UK.
“With a heavy heart the doors closed on Thursday evening at 5.30pm,” a spokesperson for the retailer told road.cc.
“Friday was a day of arranging service bikes for return and starting to make contact with customers. We put a sign on the windows asking customers to email us if they had a bike in for service.
“There was a fireman who was training for a charity ride, we delivered his bike back to him first thing Saturday morning at Verwood fire station. We continued throughout the Bank Holiday weekend and made personal deliveries so the customers were not put out.
“We were starting from 7am and delivered through to early evening, as it was a Bank Holiday some customers were away or had busy family days arranged. These customers have now received their bikes, apart from one customer who is still away in Spain and one in the US but both [have been] spoken to.
“We are also waiting for one customer to call or email back with a convenient date and time. There was never any doubt that the bikes would not be returned to the owners, but it does take time to make calls and in some cases wait for replies.”
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In a statement provided to road.cc on Thursday morning, insolvency firm Leonard Curtis also said: “Throughout the weekend, the directors worked hard to return bikes that had been left with the business for servicing and repairs, and we understand that this will have been an important priority for customers. The bikes have now been returned to their owners.”
However, the firm admitted that any customer who placed an order with Primera Sports will not receive their bike, and that any deposits submitted will not be refunded. Customers out of pocket have instead been urged to contact their card provider immediately.
“We are aware that some customers will have paid deposits for bikes, however because the company has ceased to trade and is entering into liquidation, those orders cannot be fulfilled,” Nicola Layland from Leonard Curtis said.
“Unfortunately, the company is not in a position to issue a refund to these customers, which I appreciate will be particularly unwelcome news. We’d advise those customers who paid deposits via credit card to please contact their card provider in the first instance.
“Credit card protection provisions allow customers to obtain a refund where a retailer fails to deliver goods. All other customers will be contacted shortly as we get the liquidation process underway.”
1 thought on ““There was never any doubt the bikes would not be returned”: Shuttered shop responds to customers’ claims their bikes were “locked inside” and “stolen” after sudden closure”
Very sad to read this news a few days ago, I’ve had quite a few bikes & components from here over the years, service was always exceptional.