Whit Snell says his love of riding bicycles and the San Antonio biking community has kept him committed to Bike World, but the owner of the long-running bike shop says it’s time for him to leave the reins in other hands. Snell posted to Instagram on Friday saying that he is retiring from Bike World and handing the stores over to a much larger bike company out of Wisconsin.
“I’ve decided that the time has come to take a new and exciting step to plan for the shop’s next 50 years and retire as owner,” the post reads.
Bike World will now be in the hands of Wisconsin-based bicycle and cycling product manufacturer and distributor Trek Bike. Snell says in the post that Trek Bike has already been a partner with Bike World since 1986.
The company recently landed on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, which Snell says gives him confidence that the move is a “wonderful opportunity” for employees.
“While there may be some changes, I hope you find them as beneficial and exciting as I do,” Snell said.
Snell didn’t elaborate on what exactly those changes will be except for one — Bike World stores will close on July 10 and reopen after a “brief closure” as Trek Bicycle, but with the same staff.
Snell opened the first Bike World in 1971 on Broadway in the midst of a bike boom that would leave supply scarce. A friend of Snell’s rented out a 707 airliner to France and brought bikes back to the states by loading the cargo hold and putting them in between seats. He then had bikes when everyone else struggled to meet demand.
Bike World currently has five locations across San Antonio, including one that opened in Alamo Ranch in October 2021. All locations can be found on its website.
Original News Source Link
Need a new website? Check out KingdomX Web Hosting and Websites!