Just a few months after being made redundant, staff at a well-known Derbyshire motorcycle firm could be given a lifeline after the acquisition of their old workplace. Two dealerships closed their doors permanently after Pidcock Motor Cycles Limited, an acclaimed seller of a number of motorcycle manufacturers, called in administrators back in October, following a challenging period of trade.
Pidcock permanently closed its Ducati (Queens Road, Beeston) and Triumph (Tamworth Road, Long Eaton) sites, while administrators said they were “considering offers” from prospective buyers for the BMW site (Fields Farm Road, Long Eaton). The latter has now been taken over by a national retailer, which has revealed its plans for the future.
The company had been operating and providing motorcycles in Beeston and Long Eaton since 1975, offering nearly 50 years of service. The demise was said to be linked to cost inflation and “weak consumer demand” – but now another firm is looking to reinvigorate the site, with jobs set to be offered to the former staff.
Bikers Nottingham – a sister company to MotoGB, a national new and used motorbike retailer – said it would turn the empty building back into a “busy bike shop” and also looks to open a new cafe on the site, as well as offering previous staff positions within the new dealership.
A spokesperson for the company said: “We’re thrilled to announce that we have acquired the site of the former Pidcock BMW site in Long Eaton, Nottingham. We were all very saddened to learn of Pidcock motorcycles entering into administration in November. Especially for the staff, many of whom have been there for decades.
“Pidcock Motorcycles was established in 1975 and had three sites, serving a vast range of customers for many years. The BMW site is a stunning store and deserves to stay as a bike shop. Although we will not be continuing the partnership with BMW, we are hoping to be able to offer many of the previous staff positions within the dealership, meaning that we will have familiar faces and qualified staff.”
It added that it has “plenty of exciting things” going on in the background and is “keeping an eye open” as to what direction the store will take. The spokesperson continued: “For now, we will be pressing on with filling the shop with low-mileage, quality used bikes as well as some of the brands that we already deal with.
“We want to turn this empty building back into a busy bike shop and have plans for a cafe, which we hope will be a great meeting point and social area. In addition to this, we will have a busy calendar of events.”
Nathan Jones and John Lowe, of FRP Advisory, were appointed as joint administrators by Pidcock back in October, confirming that its Ducati Nottingham site in Queens Road, Beeston, and Pidcock Triumph site in Tamworth Road, Long Eaton, had closed permanently.
The administrators said they secured interest in the Fields Farm Road site and were considering offers from prospective buyers. FRP announced that 18 redundancies would be made with the permanent closure of Ducati and Triumph sites.
Mr Jones said: “Pidcock is not the first retailer to struggle in challenging market conditions over the past year. While it’s unfortunate that a viable route forward for all three sites hasn’t been possible, we’re hopeful of a positive outcome for the Company’s BMW outlet.
“Securing that, as well as supporting employees affected by the closures, is our focus now. Sales from all of the company’s sites have been paused, and a managed system has been put in place to allow owners to collect vehicles that have already been purchased.
“All customer deposits are being protected throughout the administration process and FRP plans to contact customers about how to collect either their vehicle or their deposit in the coming days.”