Local Bike Shop Week delivers engagement and awareness as industry, media and indie retailers unite across the UK
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Local Bike Shop Week has delivered a successful nationwide campaign, bringing together major cycling media, leading industry partners and, most importantly, independent bike shops across the UK in a week-long celebration of the sector.
The expanded format, moving from a single day to a full week for the first time, helped create wider engagement across the industry, with retailers hosting rides, events, treasure hunts, in-store activities and community celebrations that highlighted the vital role local bike shops play in towns and cities across Britain.
This year’s campaign also introduced the inaugural Local Bike Shop Awards, launched a dedicated campaign website and delivered a broad range of retailer and partner marketing packs, giving shops and brands practical tools to support activity throughout the week.
Support came from across the cycling industry, with media outlets including BikeBiz helping amplify the campaign, alongside backing from key partners including Schwalbe, ZYRO, Bikmo and Madison, as well as more than 20 other cycling organisations.
The campaign delivered strong digital reach, generating tens of thousands of social media impressions and video views across Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, while the new Local Bike Shop Week website attracted thousands of engaged users.
Social content proved one of the strongest drivers of visibility, with support coming from MPs, cycling brands, retailers and former Olympic silver medallist Sharron Davies MBE, helping the campaign reach audiences well beyond the cycle trade.
Retailers also embraced the campaign’s downloadable assets and inspiration packs, using them to promote events and activity in-store and online, creating visible momentum throughout the week and helping drive local participation.
The inaugural Local Bike Shop Awards generated strong retailer and consumer interest, attracting over 50 entries from independent bike shops and thousands of public votes, with Big Bear Bikes in Scotland named the first-ever winner after topping the final public vote.
Selected from eight finalists, Big Bear Bikes’ victory marked a major moment for the new awards programme, which was designed to celebrate the expertise, service and community impact of independent cycle retailers across the UK.
Another new addition this year, the Cytech Pub Quiz delivered in partnership with Madison, also proved popular, attracting hundreds of participants, helping add another layer of engagement to the campaign, with a number of entrants winning prizes.
Jonathan Harrison
Jonathan Harrison, Director of the ACT, said: “Local Bike Shop Week has been a huge success and it’s been brilliant to see the way the whole industry has come together behind it, from the expansion to a full week, to the introduction of the awards, to the incredible support we’ve had across social media and from our partners.
“The response from independent bike shops has been fantastic and the level of creativity, energy and community spirit we’ve seen across the country has shown exactly why local bike shops matter so much, and we’re already excited to build on this year’s success and make next year even bigger.”
The ACT said this year’s campaign has created a strong platform to build on, with increased partner involvement, retailer engagement and national visibility providing a solid foundation for an even bigger Local Bike Shop Week in 2027.
For more details on Local Bike Shop Week 2026, visit the event website.