On Monday (30th November), the Leeds based online business, ManFirth, Yorkshires largest seller of E-bikes and E-scooters open their new store and showroom.
Will Pugh, one of the entrepreneurs behind ManFirth: “Our ambition is to be the largest E-bike and E-scooter retailer in the North of England. To date, all our sales have been online, so opening the store is a huge achievement and milestone for us.”
The business is the brainchild of partners Natalie Firth, owner of Just The Fox Consultancy and Will Pugh, owner of Hessian bar and restaurant located in Oakwood. As a result of the pandemic in March 2020, they launched ManFirth, a purely online E-scooter and E-bike business.
When the country went first went into lockdown, the duo very quickly realised they needed plan B if they were to survive the devasting impact of the pandemic on the restaurant industry and look for opportunities outside the hospitality industry in which they both worked. With some forward-thinking and entrepreneurial flair, Manfirth was born.
Will said, “After seeing a growing trend on Instagram and as a fan of ‘boys toy’s we quickly saw a gap in the market for ‘E-scooters’ aimed at the 20 – 30 male. Within weeks of launching online, the response was phenomenal, and within three months, we were selling £120,000 worth of E-bikes and E-scooters from a lock-up.”
The ManFirth Electric showroom, located in Holbeck, will not only be the largest E-scooter showroom in the North of England it will also offer a full range of retail, repair and servicing facilities. The store will stock a wide range of E-bikes, E-scooters and accessories from leading manufacturers as well as their own brand The Firth Ion E-bike and The Firth Eco E-scooter.
Customers will be able to test drive and see the physicalities of the product before they buy, this combined with friendly and helpful customer service, creates a point of difference and sets Manfirth apart from their online competitors.
The store opening also coincides with Department for Transport (DfT) consultations to fast-track trials of E-scooters in towns across the UK.
In response to Covid-19 and the need to introduce transport alternatives to public transport and private cars, the DfT is inviting applications from any town across Britain to operate E-scooter trials over the next 12 months.
With public transport compromised due to Covid-19 infection risks. E-bikes and E-scooters are not only becoming a great hobby; they are the perfect short journey alternatives for both business and leisure.
Natalie Firth, one of the owners of ManFirth, said: “Forecasts indicate that the demand for E-bikes and E-scooters is definitely on the up and on a lot of people’s Christmas shopping lists this year!”
ManFirth is already one of the UK’s leading personal electric transport retailers. The duo hopes the store will be a success and if all goes according to plan intend to roll out across the UK.
