Retailer Profile, Halfpipe, London, UK

Based in London, UK Half-Pipe has offered nothing but awesomeness to not only its customers but to its brands as well. With a strong love for the boarding industry, this family run, independent store is run by riders for riders, and has grown massively by the support from its customers, they even offer there store out as a place to come and chill out and meet some real interesting people. There store offers three fully equipped workshops, snowboard servicing and bicycle maintenance, and also sell a good range of hybrid and road bikes. This store really does have everything! If you would like to hear more about Half-pipe then please continue to read on…

Shop Name: Halfpipe London
Location: London, UK
Age of Shop (years trading): UK

Brands Stocked: Snow: Burton, Ride, Lib Tech, Capita, K2, Salomon, 32, Nike, Bonfire, 686, Analog, Dragon, Anon, Spy, Nikita. Skate: Cliché, Bones, Spitfire, Nike, Etnies, Vans, Girl, Chocolate, Science, Magenta, Thunder, Independent, Venture, Hold Fast Grip.

Please give a brief history of your store including when it started, who started it, who the owners and key players are?

Halfpipe is a family run independently owned business. We opened in 2003 and we are the only skate, snow and bike store in London and the last independent snowboard store in Central London. We have workshops on site where we service bikes and snowboards and we have a small team of staff who have all been involved with the store for years. Every member of staff rides. We are 100% committed to providing the very best products with as much honest and genuine advice that anyone could need. We’re not pretending to be something we’re not. We don’t have rows of glass shelves with one shoe on them and about 50 lights pointed at it, we’re a core store with as much quality product packed in as possible! 

What percentage of your sales are from online business compared to your in-store sales?

I’d say only about 20% of our sales are taken online. We tend to attract more people to our store. A lot of our customers come in and have used our site as a catalogue or point of reference and then decided to come in to seek one to one advice and to touch and feel the product.

What are the benefits of having a physical shop over simply having an online store?
I feel that in this day and age where everything can be viewed online, people are getting used to the fact that walking into a lot of major chain stores you are met with the fact that a lot of product is either in a warehouse or at another store. We on the other hand have around 90% of our online product in stock at our store. People like to try things on and play with boards and bikes before they buy. Also if a customer has a question or a problem with a product they feel that they have somewhere to come. We’re not a faceless organisation, we’re a family business and think people are attracted to that.

What makes your store different and in what ways does your store excel beyond your competition?
At the moment we are the last independent snowboard shop in central London. We have large competition from two of the biggest chain stores in the UK; Snow & Rock and TSA. Both have stores located within 3 miles to us. You really feel a strain on your business when you can’t compete with advertising and marketing budgets, but what we do have is hand-picked stock selected by our staff (who all ride), expert knowledge and that all important customer service. Every customer is treated as an individual and we give them all the advice they could possibly need so they feel comfortable spending their money and that they understand the product they’re investing in. All our staff ride the product we sell and it’s imperative that we all keep up to date on current tech changes and brands in our industry. Staff training is paramount for us.

What trends do you see upcoming?

Europe had unbelievable snow this season so I think a lot of people experienced levels of powder that they hadn’t before and think there will be a higher number of people coming in next season looking for more back country and powder boards. I know Split Boards are on the increase but I still think that’s a big investment for the average rider to swallow, whereas you can pick up powder and back country sticks that are still rideable on piste for not much money. On the skate side of things, I think that bulkier more technical shoes will come back into fashion. People have skated the thin, under constructed, vulcanized shoes and realised they don’t last. Now with the likes of Nike and Etnies introducing a more technical range to cater for their pro level riders, it’s only a matter of time before the younger generation of skater realises that a bulkier more expensive shoe lasts a lot longer.

What kind of advice can you give other independent retailers who are trying to compete against the big box megastores?

Not many independent stores have the budget to keep up with the big boys when it comes to advertising so utilise the free tools you have. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter; getting your customer hyped on new stock coming keeps your image feeling fresh and on point. We run a competition on Instagram called #trickofthemonth where riders can post a photo and every month we pick a winner and they get a prize. It doesn’t cost us much but it keeps riders interested and keeps up the community image. Lastly, exert your customer service skills to the max! You’d be surprised the difference offering a customer a cup of tea or coffee makes. That homely feel is something they will never get in a generic chain store.

Which up and coming brand do you hope to stock in the future?

Hold Fast Grip has been doing very well for us. They are a small London based company who spray paint stencil art on grip tape. Simple idea but the effort put in is immense and it sells really well to our London skaters and tourists who come in. Check them out on Instagram and Facebook @holdfastgrip .We also love Crab Grabs, we just started to stock them this season, we don’t sell that many but it’s a fun snow brand that a few people like and the company seem to not take themselves too seriously which is refreshing.

What are you doing to pull people into your store?

Keeping hot on the social networking seems to keep people interested in the store. Also keeping on point with the latest brands and trends is a full time job and the industry moves so fast it’s important to listen to rider’s that come in and the skate team. We like to stock ‘’smaller’’ brands like Magenta and Science as well as the bigger ones. We’ve been stocking Cliché for 10 years now and I remember when they were tiny and now look at them. It’s nice knowing you’ve supported a brand from when they were just starting out and watching them become a stable company. We have customers and riders who have supported us for a decade so there’s a lot of love in our store.

How confident are you for the coming summer?

As confident as you can be in England with the weather we have! If it’s hot, we’ll be selling a lot of skateboards and bikes. People could walk past and spend up to a thousand pounds on a bike just because the sun is shining and they would rather ride to the park or pub than walk. Same with skateboards, you get a lot of people who used to skate coming in who want a cruiser or old school setup for rocking up to the pub with. We repair a lot of bikes on site so the workshops are always packed and that brings in a healthy income.

How’s the local market in these days?

We’re finding that the majority of people have less of a disposable income these days and in turn want value for money. They’re skipping the entry level equipment and heading straight for the progressive to intermediate gear. The average customer would much rather spend an extra £100 now than spend £250 on a board this season and then another £350 in a couple seasons time. We’re still getting that customer who wants the shiny kit simply because they can afford it, but the majority of customers simply want to feel like they have been given a good option of product and genuine advice. This season we sold out of the Burton AK range, I think people are attracted to the “Life Time Warranty” that Burton offer with these jackets, once again, value for money shows its face.

What have been the best three selling categories for you in the last 12 months?

Nike snowboard boots, Goggles (across the brands) and Forum snowboards! Nike has a strong range out and the brand appeals to most. With the demise of Forum people seemed to really latch onto the story and we ended up having to reorder as we sold out pretty early on in the season. I know that’s risky to do with a brand that doesn’t exist anymore but we’ve been stocking Forum for 10 years and the more people riding the boards and keeping it alive the better!

Please tell us of any upcoming initiatives your shop has planned? (Events, signings, re-vamps etc…)

There is something kind of big we’re working on and may even be in place by the time this goes to print. We’re keeping it close to our chests at the moment as we believe this will take the shopping experience to the next level and really set the independents away from the chain stores. It’s going to revolutionize the way people can shop online and get advice. It’s easy to spot a big chain store as they keep their phone number secret and prefer dealing with people over email. We on the other hand prefer to deal with people in person or on the phone. You get a larger idea of what they need and you have a better chance of selling them something that is more suitable for their capabilities and style. This new system we’re developing enhances just that and takes it to the next level. We’re really excited about it so keep your eyes peeled as we’ll be dropping it all over our social networking sites. We also have a new website being built to suit a more modern cleaner look, it’s important keep a fresh up to date image for new and old customers.