Online cycling retailers Wiggle have beaten the likes of Waitrose, Tesco and Boots to win a 'production innovation' award for their in-house Verenti road bike range.
The Hampshire-based company atrributed their success at the Oracle Retail Week Awards to the rise of the MAMIL – the 'middle aged man in Lycra' who's led the huge growth of sportive riding in the UK.
Paul Bolwell, Wiggle's product and merchandising director, reckons the Verenti models, launched in 2010, perfectly suit the MAMIL's need for comfort and performance. "The bikes were designed for real people like me who love riding, whether it's getting out on their own for hours on end or competing in sportives, and people who work and lead normal lives – not the skinny professional rider who can cope with being stretched out all day," he told BikeRadar. "It's a wonderful feeling to read such incredibly positive opinions of the bikes from customers who've parted with their hard earned cash."
Martin Talbot, Wiggle's director of marketing, added: “To be recognised as retail innovators and scoop this hotly-contested award over the likes of Waitrose, Tesco and Boots is a great honour for Wiggle, and demonstrates how we now have a place among the best retailers in the country. We had ambitious plans for Verenti, which have now been recognised and celebrated by our peers."
To find out more about the Verenti range, visit www.wiggle.co.uk.
