dhb, Lifeline, and other in-house brands appear to remain for now
(Image credit: Wiggle)
No sooner was it reported that Mike Ashley's Frasers Group were aiming to relaunch Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles than it has happened; both Wiggle and CRC are back online and appear to be in a position to ship stock.
Interestingly the branding on the Wiggle site has reverted back to the old orange and black colour with the old logos; Frasers Group was clearly not a fan of the recent rebranding to teal, presumably surmising the original has more customer appeal.
While the sites are both up and running, with items showing as 'in stock', products from WiggleCRC's in-house brands like dhb, Lifeline, and Brand X are yet to have their images added, and are 'Available from 4th April' in most cases.
What is notable is that the stock of products on offer on both sites has now been bolstered by items usually stocked by other outlets in the Frasers Group network, such as Evans Cycles and Sports Direct - namely Muddy Fox and Pinnacle bikes, which occupy the budget end of the cycling spectrum.
(Image credit: Wiggle)
Having added a random item to the cart it appears customers can now use a 'collect in store' option and collect their items from any Evans Cycles store local to them. It does not appear that collecting from a Sports Direct is possible at this time.
It is unclear at this time whether the WiggleCRC fulfillment duties are falling on new staff, given that it was reported that "once the warehouse is clear, it’s game over. Wiggle and CR [Chain Reaction Cycles. ed.] will cease. The brands have been bought, but IP only – no staff or stock.", or whether staff from the Evans Cycles/Sport Direct network have stepped in to fill the void in the interim.
Mike Ashley is also reported to have purchased the WiggleCRC brands and IP for less that £10 million.
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Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.
