As part of a regular monthly feature supported by 2XU (www.2xu.co.uk), Tri247 is going to be going up and down the country introducing you to the shops and staff that work hard to give you access to lots of triathlon goodies! So, if you haven’t been to your local shop this is the ideal opportunity to find out a bit more about them and pop in and say hello!

This month we are in the North West in Wilmslow, meeting the boys from Royles

Royles are one of the leading true multi-sport retailers in the UK specialising in Cycling, Running, Swimming and Triathlon. Royles are able to cater for each individual discipline of Triathlon as well as the complete event itself. Established in 1979, Royles’ roots are in Cycling, resulting in a huge wealth of knowledge in both products and servicing. In 2002 Royles relocated to their new 5500 sq.ft premises and two years later entered the Triathlon, Running and Swimming markets. Located just on the outskirts of Wilmslow town centre and with a large car park, the store’s location is ideally situated for customers travelling from all over the Northwest and further afield.

Employing fourteen permanent shop staff from a multitude of cycling disciplines ranging from road racing and triathlon all the way to MTB DH, Royles are able to cater for all requirements from family, leisure and MTB riders to the serious road racer or triathlete.

Staff are always on hand to provide advice for all your cycling requirements – they have even been known to put the kettle on for special customers!

Three workshop technicians and four administration staff play a key part in the daily operation of the non-glamorous side of things, ensuring faultless turnaround of servicing and fast mail order response – feel free to contact the guys if you want anything ordering, fixing or sending out!

The most expensive bike put together in the shop is a Litespeed Archon custom build for Andrew (young Mr Royle!) at a shade over £6000, however £4000 to £4500 custom builds are now commonplace items!

A large, permanent display of triathlon specific clothing, wetsuits and accessories is always available catering for beginners through to pro-level athletes. Royles always have plenty of knowledgeable staff on hand to impart specialist knowledge on the prospective first-timer or the seasoned triathlete.

As well as triathlon specific items, more general running and swimming product is available from the newly created Running and Swimming departments with the aim of catering for the single discipline athlete.

Royles is the main sponsor of the Chester Tri Club Deva and Deva Divas triathlons and have a strong connection with Chester Tri Club. If you are a member, pop into the shop to take advantage of some good deals!

Royles also have an affiliation with Wrecsam Tri Club and are proud to be a key sponsor of the Bala Middle distance and Standard distance triathlons.

And finally...we have been assured that the brand new Royles Website will be up and running by 1st September! The site will feature secure on-line ordering and represents the next stage forward in the evolution of this rapidly growing store.

Brands stocked include: 2XU, Altura, Aquasphere, Asics, Assos, Bontrager, Campagnolo, Cateye, Ceepo, Cervélo, Chris King, Colnago, Continental, Corima, De-Feet, Easton, Fizik, FSA, Fulcrum, Garmin, Giro, Gore, Ironman, Litespeed, Look, Lupine, Mavic, Met, Michelin, NUUN, Oakley, Orca, Panaracer, Pinarello, Polar, Powerbar, Power Breathe, PowerTap, Pro, Profile Design, Quintana Roo, Ritchey, Rudy Project, Saucony, Schwalbe, Selle Italia, Selle San Marco, Shimano, Sidi, SIS, Speedo, Speedplay, Sports Beans, SRAM, Tacx, Thomson, Time, Timex, Trek, Zipp, Zym... and many more, apologies to those we have missed out!

Workshop facilities
Royles are one of only 30 Shimano Service centre plus accredited retailers in the UK and have been selected by Mavic to become one of a limited number of their all new Mavic Premium Plus Service Centres.
Highly qualified mechanics bring over 50 years of experience to the department – no job is too daunting for this team!
The workshop team also pride themselves in being Custom Build Specialists and will build your dream bike with the utmost professionalism.

Teams & Sponsorship
Royles have run both Triathlon and Cycling teams in the past, as well as sponsoring elite athletes such as Leanda Cave & Helen Lawrence.
After a short sabbatical from team support, they are looking to become involved once more so if you think you have what it takes, please send in your CV!

Things you might not know about: Royles

• Royles is not affiliated to Royles Jaguar in Wilmslow, but try telling that to Directory Enquiries!
• Royles founder (Tom) was once stopped (and fined) for speeding on a tandem!
• Royles were recently featured in the national publication Retail Week in an article called Good Shop Bad Shop where they were compared to the National retail chain Woolworths (which you may have heard of!), the article focused on customer service and retail presentation, and I guess it’s no surprise that the Independent retailer (ROYLES) won hands down!

For other shops in this series, see:

• TriSport Coaching UK
• Runaround Sports and Health
• Total Fitness Bath (TFB)
• Total Fitness Nottingham (TFN)
• Bicycleworks
• Bike and Run
• Primera
• Sigma Sport