Caught in the collapse – MCN speaks to customers and staff affected by Superbike Factory closure
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Following days of speculation, Superbike Factory’s chain of used motorcycle dealerships across England entered administration on July 20 – ceasing trading with immediate effect and leaving staff members and customers facing uncertainty.
The sudden announcement left hundreds of staff across Superbike’s six sites facing redundancy – with only a few retained to support the sale of assets.
MCN has also spoken to multiple riders who had paid for motorcycles in full and were awaiting delivery as the business closed.
“We’ve paid for the bike, it was ready to be delivered,” Crowland rider Chris Mudie told MCN. “I don’t earn a lot, and that was our life savings, so to speak.”
The 47-year-old paid just over £5000 for a Triumph Trophy 1200 on July 9 and was due to take delivery on July 22. Like many, he found out about the business entering administration via third parties, rather than Superbike.
“We’ve got another bike, which I’m going to have to sell now and have no bike at all because it’s our savings money and we need to get it back,” he continued. “We don’t know if we’re ever going to get the bike, which we paid for.”
Another rider impacted was 55-year-old Darren Booth from Baildon, near Bradford, who bought a 2011 Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide having waited three years to get back on two wheels.
“I took out enough money for this motorbike from my pension, which makes it even more heartbreaking as that has now gone missing,” he said. “It’s a real case of bad timing.
“It was within my price range, and with them being Europe’s largest used motorcycle company I thought I’d be in with a good shout of getting what I paid for – if not guaranteed.”
Booth said he contacted Superbike’s Macclesfield branch on July 9 and struck a deal – adding a service and home delivery for a final price of £7900. A deposit of £500 was paid on a debit card, with the outstanding balance sent over via bank transfer on July 15.
“I thought the sooner they get the money, the sooner I get my bike – I had no idea there was any trouble at that point,” he continued, adding that he was on hold for around 80 minutes on July 17 trying to get an update on his bike’s progress.
“I’ve been in touch with the administrators via email and telephone,” he added. “I’ve been in touch with Trading Standards and Citizens Advice and into my bank twice – so I’m doing all I can – but it’s a case of just waiting to see.
“We’ve got a Harley-Davidson rally that’s been going on in our village for 40-odd years and that’s on August Bank Holiday weekend, and I just wanted a bike for then to join in with that and all the fun and festivities.”
On top of the impacted customers, a huge volume of staff have lost their jobs and must now approach the Government’s Redundancy Payments Service to claim some of the money they are owed.
Among them is Jonathan Lodge, who’d worked for the company for around three and a half years as an on the road technician for webuyanybike.com (run by Superbike Factory) inspecting bikes to be purchased as stock.
Like many others, he discovered his redundancy on the same day as the official statement was released online – having been told to come in for a meeting at 2pm that day.
“I think we all expected the worst,” he said. “But it was when we started seeing the group of people in suits from the administrators that we thought ‘this ain’t good’. It just seems very abrupt. No one knew anything until it started popping up on people’s social media on Friday.”
MCN spoke with KR8 Advisory Ltd on July 27. Joint Administrator Rob Halliday said: “Approximately 273 employees have been affected by the appointment, and our immediate priority is to support employees through the redundancy process, including assisting them with claims to the Redundancy Payments Service, while securing and safeguarding the company’s assets for the benefit of creditors.
“We are reviewing the financial situation and will be contacting sellers and customers over the course of the coming days with instructions as to next steps.”
Webuyanybike.com also affected
Alongside the Superbike Factory showrooms, website webuyanybike.com has also ceased operations having also been run by the same team.
A statement visible on their website reads: “The companies have ceased to trade with immediate effect. WeBuyAnyBike is a trading name of the Companies and is no longer accepting valuations, enquiries or bike purchases.”
Much like an announcement currently found on the Superbike Factory website, anyone with enquiries relating to the online selling platform should contact [email protected] today. Prior to the collapse of the business, KR8 confirmed that company directors had sought professional advice and tried options including the sale of the business in an attempt to keep it is running.
While a number of parties are said to have expressed an interest, the process was not completed – forcing Superbike Factory to cease trading.
The MCN take
It’s a real shame when any business trying to make its way in the motorcycling world falls on hard times and our hearts go out to all the employees and customers affected by the news.
