Wiggle and Chain Reaction websites to be relaunched next week, as Frasers Group aims to become the “no.1 sporting goods retailer in Europe”

The curtains on WiggleCRC’s months of doom and gloom have finally been drawn, as the beleaguered online bikes and cycling kit retailer, once the mainstay of many British cyclists, looks set for a new lease of life under the Frasers Group.

Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has told road.cc that the Wiggle and Chain Reaction websites, which went down and were replaced with holding pages earlier this week, will be relaunched next week, as the sports conglomerate, also behind the retail chains of Sports Direct and Evans Cycles, aims to become the “no.1 sporting goods retailer in Europe”.

Wiggle’s tough times began during last year’s autumn after its parent company SSU reported “severe liquidity and profitability challenges” and delisted its shares. The retailer was put under administration last October, with 105 employees being laid off. Administrators, however, confirmed that there was “considerable interest” from potential buyers in December.

One of those potential buyers was Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, as road.cc first reported last month, with the purchase confirmed a few days later.

Now, Frasers Group has announced that the website, which shut down after scores of extreme discounts on the page due to its clearance sale — including cycle computers worth £99 priced at 99p — will reappear next week.

> Wiggle and Chain Reaction websites shut, with all remaining orders to be “fulfilled within 7-10 days”

And as reported by road.cc earlier, the group has also secured the brand rights for Wiggle’s in-house ranges which include Nukeproof, Vitus Bikes, and DhB. These line-ups are set to join many other sporting brands under former Newcastle-owner Mike Ashley’s umbrella, including Everlast, Lonsdale, Slazenger and Karrimor.

Frasers Group said in a statement: “Alongside the ecommerce relaunch, which is due to take place next week, Frasers Group is looking to create commercial partnerships to enhance and expand these own-brand lines through development, sales, licensing, and international distribution opportunities.”

Russell Merry, Managing Director of Wheels for Frasers Group, formerly the managing director of Cyclin Sports Group and director of Pacific Cycles, added: “Wiggle and Chain Reaction are well established names among riders in the UK and across Europe and the acquisition of both brands is consistent with our ambition to become the no.1 Sporting Goods retailer in Europe.

“It also brings with it the opportunity to work with respected partners through the highly admired, award-winning product lines that Wiggle and Chain Reaction had built. We are excited to explore partnerships with suppliers or distributors looking to expand their offering or an organisation looking to get a foothold in the market by leveraging some established names.”

> #GetYourWiggleOff: Fallout from Mike Ashley’s possible WiggleCRC buyout leaves former employees dismayed and looking for jobs

The full-list of intellectual properties acquired include Vitus Bikes and Ragley, Prime’s components range, DhB clothing, Lifeline Tools, Mobi bike pressure washers and outdoor clothing range, Fohn. However, it isn’t confirmed yet whether if any of the personnel involved in developing and running these in-house brands have been retained, leading to uncertainty over their future development.

Before the imminent purchase of Wiggle by Mike Ashley, it was reported that almost everyone in the company was made redundant in a second wave of job cuts, with several employees confirming the news on LinkedIn.

“Unfortunately, my time is up, along with everyone else within the organisation,” one employee posted on the website, while another wrote: “After almost having made it to 10 years at Chain Reaction Cycles and then WiggleCRC, it’s now time to say goodbye… Very sad day saying goodbye to colleagues and the business as a whole.”

Last May, Frasers Group also bought the stock and intellectual property assets of online retailer ProBikeKit (PBK), which had previously shut down its lifestyle division citing “lossmaking”.

The acquisition of PBK was also handled through Frasers’ Evans Cycles subsidiary, which itself was bought by retail entrepreneur Ashley in 2018 for £8 million in a similar move that saw over 300 staff members made redundant and the rest added to zero-hour contracts.