established for over twenty-five years, and with two outlets – one to the east and the other to the west of london, this business is one of few companies specialising in the hire of motorcycles. Although this business is a japanese parallel import dealer, supplying top bikes at highly competitive prices and an official peugeot and s.y. M. Dealer for scooters as well as having a thriving service and repair throughput it is in the rental sector that this business is best known. Occupying an almost monopolistic position in the marketplace as one of the very few motorcycle businesses active in the rentals arena this business offers its private motorist customers a range that consists of the latest honda, kawasaki, peugeot, suzuki and yamaha models. In all, this business has over thirty different models with a total fleet of over 60. This business has established an excellent reputation and a loyal, regular customer base. So much so that many customers are now bringing their sons and daughters into the outlets. This business offers the perfect way for anyone to sample the delights of motorcycling and motorcycle ownership with ‘hirers’ often turning into ‘buyers’. The business even offers a ‘rent, try, buy scheme’ and is so well established in the rentals sector that it has become a major provider of world tours for holiday rentals. Very popular with customers, a bike can be hired for the weekend and should the hirer decide to purchase it the cost of the hire can be deducted from the purchase price! rentals start from as little as £50 per day, £175 for the weekend and £245 for the week. This business can boast the same staff for over ten years. All riders themselves, knowledgeable and experienced mechanics they can add their own personal views to the excellent customer service and support given to every customer no matter how experienced. This is a very well established, well run business. As perhaps the only operator of its kind in the marketplace – and with significant demand for its products and services it represents an excellent opportunity offering excellent rates of return on investment particularly for a motorcycle enthusiast or alternatively a motorcycle dealership looking to extend its breadth of activities. Key strengths: with little or no real competition within the rentals market this business has a high level of awareness amongst its target sector further buoyed by its very high profile locations on major arterial routes into and out of central london. Its outlets fronted by thirty or forty bikes at any one time are certain to catch the eye of any passing motorcyclist. This is a multi faceted business, helping to shield it from the vagaries of the economy. When the economy is strong, motorcycle sales are strong. When money becomes a little tight prospective purchasers rent rather than buy. Whilst motorcycle sales are less seasonal than they used to be with the vast improvements in ‘all weather’ gear any downturn leading into the autumn and winter months is often offset by the increased purchasing of accessories – trousers, gloves etc for the winter months plus the inevitable accident work that arises when road conditions become a little more tricky. Revenues from insurance sales and the financing arrangements that this business offers to help purchasers to buy their machine also contribute significantly to the overall turnover of the business. Key opportunities: with little or no real alternative suppliers, many customers travel long distances to hire a motorcycle from this business, many from as far afield as the us, australia and japan. There is an excellent opportunity to leverage the excellent reputation this business has for customer service and support and establish additional outlets in other parts of the country – particularly in areas where it is known there is latent demand and no current suppliers in the area. With the demand for hires outstripping supply at certain times of the year there is also the possibility of expanding the fleet, plus the possibility of mirroring the car hire market by offering ‘long term’ hire at more affordable rates – a product that might be attractive to despatch riders, a very significant market in london and other major cities throughout the uk. The standing this business has within the marketplace could also be leveraged to boost sales of motorcycles. In fact this business could represent an excellent opportunity as an ‘add-on’ to an existing five star motorcycle dealership that could easily leverage its buying power to expand the fleet cost effectively, boost the rental margins with a consequent impact on turnover and profitability. Customer service: hiring from this business couldn’t be easier. All models are late registration with hire rates that start from as little as £50 per day include vat, insurance, aa recovery and unlimited mileage. All bikes come with ‘u’ type security locks and many are fitted with anti-theft alarms. All major credit cards are accepted with deposits not required with credit card use. Hirers need to present their driving licence plus two proofs of id and address. Advertising and marketing: this business has a well designed and easy to navigate web-site that performs well in all of the major search engines for all of the relevant search terms. All other marketing has been developed to drive traffic to the web-site including a constant presence in the trade press in the form of motorcycle news and yellow pages directories throughout the london area plus three large circulation monthly motorcycle magazines. Over 90% of turnover is as a result of the web marketing activity.
