Cycling Statistics

Following my last blog post about finding some statistics about the number of cyclists in the UK I discovered for myself just how tricky it is to get hold of figures.

Firstly the National Statistics website itself proved difficult to search and showed me no obvious results. I remembered attending a user group a couple of years ago suggesting that looking for official figures was best done on Google. This may have worked better.

Newsbank proved more rewarding, although alot of cycling stories are about horrific accidents or the UK cycling prospects at the 2012 Olympics. Both of these topics were interesting, and potentially useful. No wonder people are reticent to use a bike in London I thought. Then again, success at The Games, and some cyclig superstars might be a boost for the bike. Do people really call Boris Johnson Bo-Jo by the way ?

Then I struck gold with an article from the Sunday Times.

Laurance(2011)notes that in the 1940's one third of all vehicle trvel was by bike. This figure has now declined to less than 2% . Two thirds of the population never cycle, or get on a bike less than once per year.


There was also some good news. But I'll save that for another blog-post.

Laurance, B (2011) Cycling hits the wild side as Britain gets back in the saddle, Times, May 29th. Accessed via Newsbank [online] http://library.beds.ac.uk on 9th August 2011

Bicycle Market....

When students were set an assignment on bicycles last year Peter and I struggled to find much information. Neither Keynote, nor Marketline have produced a report on this market. The Mintel Report which we traced was unfortunately very expensive, and we feared that it may not reach the library shelves in time.

I recently found a article in a print journal which looks relevant ( albeit two years old ) about a UK manufacturer of cycles and the challenges that they face. The article is available in the LRC in print.

Lawell, F (2009) Raleigh : cycling to success ? Business Review Vol 15 (3) p. 16-17

The article got me thinking about a SWOT analysis of the whole Market

STRENGTHS
Cycling is being promoted for health purposes
Road congestion, improved cycle-paths, "Boris Bikes" might encourage people to try it
A cheaper option than your car ? And if the roads are congested, quicker too ( over a short distance ? )
WEAKNESSES
Most people still prefer their car - low uptake - I would try to back up this point with some statistics
Cycling in cities seen to be dangerous
Accidents and smog make it an unattractive option
OPPORTUNITIES
Government support of green transport
Bike Loan Schemes
Cycling charities
Reports on health benefits
THREATS
Government funding might be cut
Cycle manufacturers ( eg Raleigh ) may suffer in the recession
More production moving abroad ( most made in Bangladesh, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Eastern Europe and Vietnam )

Scientific Management

This stern looking man is F.W Taylor, originator of the theory of scientific managagement. Whilst doing some Refworks sessions recently I came across a good summary of his work here...

Harrison, S.(2004) F.W. Taylor and scientific management Business Review Vol 11 No. 1 p 16-17

This article does not appear to be available online, although there are other critiques of Taylorism on Business Source Premier.

Taylor's original theories date from 1911, but Harrison(2004) notes that he heard echoes of them in 2003 when Toyota's managing director spoke of the need to make car factory employees "follow rules and standards as if they were second nature"

If you are doing the annual assignment on Taylor's theories this may be worth a look.

The original publication ( as it is now out of copyright ) is available on Google Books. Thanks to my colleague, Alan Wheeler, for this information

Wetherspoons Profits to soar ?

After a disastrous couple of weeks for high street companies there may be some relief when Wetherspoons announces a trading update on Wednesday (13th July). The previous day the company opens it's latest pub The London Hatter in Park Street, Luton.

There are now two Wetherspoons outlets in Bedford and two in Luton. Cheap beer, meals and coffee, plus an extensive breakfast menu seem to be behind the success of the chain.

WH Smiths Results buck the trend...

Smiths results are not as bad as some others recently. The company issued a trading statement yesterday which showed profits rising by three per cent, although predictably sales were down.

Franchises at airports, railway stations and motorway services will help the company.

A future stategy is to abandon dvd and cd sales ( HMV has already decided to do this ). Personally I never really associated Smiths with dvds, and it is many, many years since I bought a CD there.

In Luton WH Smiths is now the only remaining bookshop (unless you count The Works ). I wonder if University of Beds students will buy or order their text books from the store ?

Or will Amazon get even more trade ?

Thornton's Chocolates .... more details

Still no clue in the Luton Mall about the fate of the Thorntons shop there. Apparently details are to be announced when staff have been informed, within the next fortnight.

Thorntons operate 337 UK stores and are closing at least 120 of them. Where stores close they are hoping to open franchises nearby ( maybe in Debenhams or similar I imagine ?)

Strategy for the future ?

More products for less than £5, and in-store tasting sessions !

Christmas, Valentines Day & Easter are seasonal peaks for chocolate sales, but Thorntons additionally stressed that hot weather in May affected business.

I wonder if headlines like the one above didn't help. Maybe we are eating too much fruit these days ?

High Street Meltdown

Lots of stories in the papers this weekend about the crisis affecting the UK High Street. This one seems a particularly good summary of the situation....

Walsh,K & Shah, O (2011) High noon on the High Street, Sunday Times, 3rd July Focus Section p.5

It has been a disastrous few days for the following companies :

T.J Hughes - discount department chain, has gone out of business. 57 stores and 4,000 staff face a bleak future.

Jane Norman, the youth fashion chain went under on Monday night. 200 shops and 1,600 staff lost.

HMV finally gave up with the CD market and will now concentrate on live music and gadgets. Sales sank by 11% this year, and the company only survived, many think, by selling off Waterstones.

Thorntons, the chocolatier, is closing many high street shops. We are not sure whether the Luton and Bedford branches have survived the chop.

What are the reasons for these poor results ?

1. Internet shopping
2. The financial crisis means that consumers are changing from a 'want' culture to a 'need' culture
3. Giant supermarkets are now selling everything, including Thorntons chocolates and CD's.
4. Lack of consumer confidence ( consumers may have the cash to spend but they are worried about their future )
5. Conspicuous consumption is no longer fashionable. People feel guilty about spending ( despite this some luxury brands are still manageing to prosper )
6. Customer service is no longer valued as much as it was formerly. This may be partly because people have so much information about the products they are buying available online.
7. Discount retailers such as Aldi and Lidl are doing well.