Ride Bike Shop invests Dhs1.5m to open new bike store in Middle East

The new store which is just under 5,000 square feet with its workshop covering 1,500 square feet makes it not only the largest bicycle store, but also the largest workshop in the UAE and GCC. An investment of Dhs1.5m has been made into the store and it will have around Dhs2m worth of bikes and other products in stock at any given time.

Mr. Shahriar Khodjasteh, President of Dubai Desert Extreme, said, "We are delighted to launch the region's largest bicycle shop. As the distributor of some of the biggest names in the industry, which include Giant, Topeak, Mavic, Fox Racing Shox and many others, we always wanted to find the right space for our Flagship store in Dubai. We already became the largest chain of bike shops in the region, with 4 stores open across Dubai within a 3-year span."

He added, "But it was time for us to move out of the large shopping malls and into a large high street unit like this one. With the opening of the store on the very busy Sheikh Zayed Road, we bring the region another level of Bicycle Stores. The plan now is to open another similar size store in the major cities across the region, first in Doha and then Abu Dhabi. Apart from this being the largest bike shop in the region, it is also home to the largest workshop, which will be the Master Service Centre in the region for brands like Fox, Mavic, Giant, Crank Brothers and others. Interest in cycling in the region is growing at a tremendous pace and is at an all-time high. Lastly, the infrastructure being developed by the authorities is making it much safer for cyclists throughout the region."

The new Ride Bike Shop was opened under the patronage of Mr. Osama Ahmad Al Shafar, President of UAE Cycling Federation, who was an honored guest of the evening. He has helped make the infrastructure of the country far more cycle friendly, which has encouraged people to take up the sport. The Dubai Sports Council has also played a significant role in creating an atmosphere where cycling can thrive, while the RTA has expanded its network of cycling routes across Dubai.

The other honored guest of the evening was Mr. John Koo, CEO of Giant International & Giant Europe, the world's largest bicycle manufacturer who produce more than 7 million bicycles per year with an annual turnover over $1.6bn.

'This new bike shop will be home to the first Giant Store-in-Store Concept in the UAE & GCC, and we are very proud to be part of the success and growth that our partner in the region is experiencing. They have done a great job with this amazing new store, and it can be considered up there as one of the best in the world!" stated Mr. John Koo at the opening event. "It is also great to see the new 2013 Model Year Giant bikes on display and in time for this Grand Opening event."

With the state-of-the-art workshop, friendly and knowledgeable staff, high standard of maintenance, and the best brands and products available, Ride Bike Shop aims to offer consumers a number of reasons to choose their store as the one-stop-shop for all cyclists.