Electronics megastore to stock electric bikes

Best Buy – the self-proclaimed ‘number one specialty customer electronics retailer in the world’ – will stock electric bikes, as well as lights, helmets and accessories, in their first UK store, which is about to open in Essex.

E-bikes from Gocycle, Urbanmover and Izip will be available at the outlet in Thurrock, with prices starting at £399.99. Best Buy are promising a try-before-you-buy area.

The chain will face competition from Tesco and Argos, who both sell an electric bike called the Meerkat Metro for £575. It weighs a hefty 35.5kg.

Best Buy’s arrival in the UK is part of a long-term strategy which aims to create 8,000 jobs in Britain over the next five years. The Thurrock store is due to open on 30 April, with further outlets planned for Southampton and the West Midlands in June, and Aintree, Liverpool and Croyden before winter.

The global giant accounts for around 21 percent of the US customer electronics market and ranks at number 56 in the Fortune 500. In 2008, its annual turnover exceeded US$40 billion and it employed over 150,000 people worldwide.