Top 100 Retailer

Ever wonder how retailers are picked for the honor of being a Top 100 Retailer?

Besides having our awesome customers helping us, without you we wouldn’t be here!

Top 100 Bicycle Retailer Methodology

The methodology for ranking the top 100 bicycle retailers has been relatively consistent since its inception in 2005. Specifically, representatives from the leading bicycle and accessory companies rank the top three shops in their territories on market share, store appearance, and community outreach (defined in detail on the survey document). Scores are then weighted and tallied to provide the top 100 list. However, retailers have expressed concern that the methodology favors larger shops which carry the dominant brands. In what follows, we will detail the methodology for 2011, designed specifically to address retailers’ concerns.

Sample

We extended the list of industry companies from whom we obtained retailer rankings to broadly represent the industry. The following companies were invited to participate in the voting:

• CSG
• Electra
• Giant
• Easton Sports (Giro/Bell)
• ASI
• J&B Importers
• Raleigh America
• Pearl Izumi/Shimano
• Specialized
• QBP
• Trek
• Scott
• SRAM
• Cervelo*
• Felt*
• Haro*
• Bianchi*
• Kona*
• Nirve*
• Marin*
• Yeti*
• Santa Cruz*
• Camelbak*
• Continental (Highway 2)*
• Saris*
• Thule*
• Yakima*
• Niner*
• BTI*
• SBS*

*Denotes companies added in 2011

Survey

Representatives voted for the top three retailers in each of the following categories:

• Market share
• Store appearance
• Community outreach (including local advocacy, local events, sponsoring local clubs/racing teams)

Further, we obtained lists of membership/sponsorship from the NBDA, IMBA, and Bikes Belong as well as attendance at Interbike and BLC to serve as indicators of “industry commitment.”

Computing Scores

Top retailer scores were computed via a 3-step process:

• Shops that were ranked 1st in any category received a score of 1, shops that were ranked 2nd received a score of .5, and shops that were ranked 3rd received a score of .25 within each category (i.e., market share, store appearance, community outreach)
• Category scores were then weighted as follows and summed for a total category score:
  • Market Share: .4
  • Store Appearance: .35
  • Community Outreach: .25
• Shops were awarded a score of 1 for membership/support/attendance at each of the following: IMBA, Bikes Belong, Interbike, and BLC such that scores could range from 0 to 4. These industry commitment scores were weighted by .1 and added to the category scores described above

Finalizing the Top 100

The final top 100 list was computed as follows:

• Shops with multiple locations were given the maximum of the scores for individual locations
• Shops were ranked based on the total score
• Shops that have appeared on the top 100 for 5 consecutive years (including this year), were removed from the top 100 list and added to the 5-star list
• Shops that were on the 5-star list in 2010 and ranked in the top 100 this year were removed from the top 100 list and added to the 5-star list
• The remaining top 100 ranked shops comprised the final top 100 list