Royles was founded by Tom Royle, who after spending more than twenty five years managing Morgan’s of Wilmslow founded Tom Royle Cycles at Brook Lane Corner Alderley Edge in 1979.
In the summer of 2000, after twenty one years serving the cycling needs of local families the business went through some significant changes following a transition of ownership and management to Tom’s son Andrew.
The first major change was the relocation of the store from Brook Lane to larger premises at their current location on Knutsford Road. Following the move and with increased showroom space came the introduction of a much wider product range and the simplification of the name to Royles.
Since then there have been many developments and changes to the business and perhaps even more to the sport of cycling and retail in general.
Like any business (especially retail) Royles has needed to move with the times.?In 2004 the product range was increased to include what was then the "new sport" of Triathlon. Today Royles are widely acknowledged as one the UK’s premier Triathlon stores offering an unrivalled range of wetsuits, apparel, triathlon bikes and accessories. This reputation has spread throughout the UK with customers travelling significant distances to visit the store and seek advice from the experienced staff, or take a swimming lesson in the indoor training pool.
The continued growth of the internet and on-line shopping changed the face of retail and as a result Royles launched their on-line store in 2005 which now supplies specialist cycling products throughout the world; however they still advocate a traditional "in-store" approach to shopping. Not one for sitting on his hands Tom remained active in the business until 2012 finally retiring at the age of 75 with over 50 years in the bike trade.
The last 3 years have seen more challenges, perhaps the biggest being the opening of the store in Grove Street. This was brought about through the lack of support of the local council to expand the operation at their current location or build new premises.
As a result Royles split their operation across three buildings to accommodate the expanding business; however this coinciding with the "credit crunch", crippling rent and business rates forced the closure of the Grove Street Store and Warehouse in 2013 and the consolidation back to a single building. Given the diversity of cycling which includes commuting, mountain biking and road cycling with its increased popularity it was almost impossible to display and offer a comprehensive range of product capable of competing with the on-line market in all sectors.
As a result in 2013 Royles stopped selling children’s, mountain and commuter bikes together with all related accessories to focus purely on road cycling and triathlon markets.
Royles are confident that they now offer the best range of road cycling and triathlon products in the Northwest allowing you to purchase leading brands at "internet prices" whilst still receiving the level of service that Royles are renowned for.
To see further details of the goods and services Royles offer checkout the website, or better still drop in-store and talk to one of their experts.
