Kwik Fit Acquires Bike Servicing Company Fettle
Kevin Thorpe | Thursday 4th January 2024 4:53pm
- The acquisition transfers 100% ownership of Fettle to Kwik Fit
- The move signifies a major step in reshaping the cycling landscape in the UK
- The existing Fettle management team will remain with the business, with Jeyda Heselton continuing to lead the company.
Kwik Fit, the UK's leading automotive servicing and repair company today announces its acquisition of Fettle, the innovative bicycle servicing start up. This strategic move signifies a major step in reshaping the cycling landscape in the UK.
The acquisition, which transfers 100% ownership of Fettle to Kwik Fit, will facilitate the combination of Fettle’s innovative approach to cycle servicing with Kwik Fit’s resources, network and expertise in the automotive sector. The Fettle management team will remain with the business, with Jeyda Heselton, who founded Fettle in 2019, continuing to lead the company.
The strategy of Kwik Fit and Fettle is to revolutionise the service experience in cycling. As bicycles evolve with electrification and increasing complexity, Fettle and Kwik Fit are at the forefront, ensuring that every cyclist's needs are met with expertise and the reassurance of a brand focused on customer care.
The acquisition is of key significance to the rapidly increasing number of businesses using fleets of e-bikes and e-cargo bikes for 'last mile' delivery and service solutions. Fettle and Kwik Fit are ideally positioned to support these businesses and their growing fleets, helping them accelerate their rollout plans with a reliable, nationwide service network.
Jeyda Heselton, Fettle founder and Mark Slade, managing director of Kwik Fit. Kwik Fit has acquired the bicycle servicing company
This proposition is also of growing importance to cycle manufacturers, many of whom are increasingly selling directly to consumers. By partnering with a national network like Kwik Fit, manufacturers can enhance their reach and service capabilities, ensuring satisfaction for both existing and new customers.
Fettle and Kwik Fit received a positive response from cycle manufacturers and business customers when they launched an operational partnership in March this year. The success and subsequent growth of the partnership, with joint centres in Bristol, North and South London, has resulted in the acquisition becoming the logical strategy for the two companies.
Jeyda Heselton, founder of Fettle, said: “We established Fettle with a clear mission: to revolutionise the service experience in the UK's cycling industry. Joining the Kwik Fit organisation is a pivotal step in this journey, providing an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate expansion as we can now leverage Kwik Fit's extensive network which is well located to service consumers, manufacturers and fleets.
“Kwik Fit's business ethos aligns with ours and it brings mature, world-class skills and a depth of knowledge that is invaluable to a young and growing company like Fettle. We're excited for this new chapter and the possibilities it opens up for Fettle, our customers, and the wider cycling community."
Mark Slade, managing director of Kwik Fit, said: “In a world where mobility is changing rapidly, we are seeing many of our customers diversify their modes of travel, and businesses are broadening the make up of their fleets, especially for 'last mile' deliveries and services. Integrating Fettle into Kwik Fit centres embraces this shift and enables us to offer comprehensive mobility solutions under one roof with support for bicycles, e-bikes, and cargo bikes complementing our established automotive services.
“From its inception, Fettle has been an innovator in customer service, cultivating a strong brand centred on excellence and trust. With Kwik Fit's acquisition of Fettle, we are not just broadening our service spectrum; we are also reinforcing Fettle's customer-centric ethos. Leveraging Kwik Fit's extensive support, we aim to enhance the overall experience for our customers. This acquisition will also enable an acceleration in the rollout of the Fettle network that would have been more challenging for it to achieve independently. This combination ushers in a new era in servicing the UK’s mobility needs where efficiency, customer satisfaction and innovation stand at the forefront."
There will be no interruption to service as a result of the change in ownership, with existing employees remaining with the company and all current services and locations being maintained. Fettle services will continue to be found via www.fettle.cc
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About Kwik Fit
Established in 1971, the Kwik Fit Group is one of the largest independent automotive parts, repair and replacement specialists in the world. Kwik Fit has over 600 service centres across the UK and more than 200 mobile tyre fitting vehicles, making it the UK’s leading tyre, exhaust, brake and MoT specialist. Details of its range of products and services can be found at kwik-fit.com
About Fettle
Fettle is a London-based start up, launched with a mission to reinvent repair. It has shaken up the industry and is leading bike maintenance into a new era by blending old school expertise with tech-led innovation, to put the cyclist first, and to keep the UK’s riders, riding. Learn more at fettle.cc
