Wiggle website relaunched following Frasers Group takeover (and the old orange logo is back)

Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles' websites are back online this morning, Frasers Group restoring the old orange logo to the former having also purchased all the rights for Wiggle's in-house brands such as Nukeproof, Vitus and DhB in a deal believed to be worth less than £10 million.

Last week, the websites shut before Mike Ashley's Frasers Group, which has added Wiggle Chain Reaction to a retail portfolio that already includes Sports Direct and Evans Cycles, confirmed that they would be relaunched this week.

The new websites have an air of familiarity about them, the much-criticised Wiggle rebrand scrapped and the old orange logo reinstated. It also states that new lines are being added "daily", the road bike section currently only displaying Cannondale, Cube and Pinnacle models, many of which remain heavily discounted. Pinnacle, Muddy Fox and Dare 2b represent the first sight of Ashley's Evans and Sports Direct brands appearing on WiggleCRC.

> "The assumption was Wiggle Chain Reaction wasn't going anywhere": Ex-employee talks "shock" at retail giant's demise

There have been some reports of issues with the new websites, some pages "could not be found" or "no longer exist". And while the past few months have seen a fire sale of old stock (one road.cc reader last week snapping up 15 3T Eye cycle computers – which retailed at £94.99 when first released in 2016 – for 99p each) there are still some heavily discounted products to be found following relaunch too. The Schwinn Scree Gravel Bike for example is cut to £189, from £549.99, in all sizes.

Last week, following their closure, Frasers Group told road.cc that the websites would be back online shortly as the retail empire aims to "become the no.1 Sporting Goods retailer in Europe".

"Alongside the e-commerce 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," Frasers Group said.

Russell Merry, Managing Director of Wheels for Frasers Group, formerly the managing director of Cycling 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."

> Mike Ashley's Frasers Group buys Wiggle Chain Reaction Cycles for less than £10 million

The full-list of intellectual property acquired includes 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 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.

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".

Frasers Group swooped for Wiggle CRC following months of uncertainty, job losses and the descent into administration after its parent company suffered a withdrawn funding commitment from its own parent company amid "severe liquidity and profitability challenges".