British car servicing brand Kwik Fit will ramp up its bicycle maintenance output in 2024 after fully acquiring bike servicing company Fettle.
The move comes after the success of the two entities initial partnership, which was announced in March last year, and sees 100% of Fettle ownership transferred to Kwik Fit.
Bristol and London were the first locations to see Kwik Fit branches servicing bicycles. The service is open to all cyclists but was first aimed at companies using e-bikes and cargo bikes for deliveries in the two cities.
The Fettle management team will remain with the company despite Kwik Fit taking full control of the business. Founded by Jeyda Heselton in 2019, Fettle aimed to revolutionise the service experience in the UK cycling industry.
Its initial aim was to offer “faff-free” bike repair. This included collecting customer’s bikes from their homes, repairing them, and then returning them directly to clients.
On the acquisition by Kwik Fit, Heselton said that it was a "extraordinary opportunity" to grow.
"We established Fettle with a clear mission: to revolutionise the service experience in the UK’s cycling industry," she said. "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.”
The press release announcing the agreement highlighted the increased complexity of bicycle servicing particularly in the e-bike sector. It said that the move by Kwik Fit will “ensure that every cyclist’s needs are met with expertise and the reassurance of a brand focussed on customer care.”
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 makeup 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.”
