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MAG Retail Group to combine online retail outlets

Powersports Business has learned that the Motorsport Aftermarket Group’s Retail Group will combine Motorcycle-Superstore.com into J&P Cycles in 2017, resulting in dozens of layoffs from Superstore in the upcoming weeks.

For now, Motorcycle-Superstore.com will continue to allow customers to buy PG&A. Customers eventually will be directed to jpcycles.com.

This business transaction, expected by many, is the latest since the 2014 merger of Tucker Rocky Distributing and MAG.

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5 Comments

  1. I think its a sad day for Distributors and Retailers to be joined at the hip like this. The small brick and mortar stores of the day are being pushed farther and farther under the rug. When they run out of real people to represent their product and provide hands on customer support maybe they will rethink it?
    Then again maybe the new world can function without hands on support?

  2. These two have been joined at the hip with TR/MAG for a few years – MAG finally decided that Operating Motorcycle Superstore as a standalone site wasn’t worth all the staff in Oregon or PayPerClick they were paying – soon they will decide that they don’t need the staff at J&P and will close its doors too. Customers can ask dealers what they need and then go to J&P/Superstore (aka Tucker Rocky) and buy it direct – eventually we dealers will be ‘delivery stations’ for the OEMs once they figure out how to get around state laws that make them sell through dealers (Tesla Did it). This might all lower the costs of things from China; but it sure doesn’t seem good for the industry.

  3. There will always be a need for customer service, and actually with some companies (like big telecom) it’s one of their most important differentiating factors. The modern consumer has been presented with amazing online selection paired to fast and inexpensive shipping options. Comparatively, going into a brick and mortar where the chances of them having exactly what you want at a competitive price are low.

    Retail centers of nearly every industry have had this problem recently. Book stores are (and were) a wonderful example of this. The key was to NOT cut promotions, inventory and disincentivize walk-ins through high prices, aggressive staff, etc. Instead, surviving companies created reasons for people to walk in on a regular basis. People will spend a little extra to support a company they feel genuinely cares about both their customers and the industry they’re in. Most niche businesses heavily rely on this.

    Unfortunately many industry players and consumers have had negative experience with dealerships who fundamentally didn’t change fast enough. It used to be customers had to come into the shop and that afforded some stores a certain bit of “attitiude” (to put it nicely) and complacency which drove parties to find alternate sales and buying methods.

    Seeing it from a consumer’s standpoint it makes sense. Why should I drive at least 20-30 minutes to a place that will likely be closed by the time I can get there; and where people have historically been rude or, at best, uninformed and unhelpful. Then pay more on top of that? No thanks. Obviously not every dealership is/was like this, but many were and still are. Even some of the good ones are just sitting on land, waiting for the real estate value to go up, then sell — lock, stock and barrel.

    TR/MAG are responding to what they feel are a change in the powersports retail landscape. When times change and demand shifts away from whatever product or service we’re offering, it’s up to us to adapt and find new ways to offer value in what we’re capable of doing. Not saying it’s easy, but that it’s worth at least considering.

    Finally, dealerships are tremendously important to the future of motorcycling. They can be inspiration, education, entertainment and expertise centers which build community bonds that online sales simply cannot do. Seeing a new rider learn about safety gear, make the right choice and learn healthy attitudes to becoming a safe/responsible rider has many levels of rewards; and money can be one of them if done correctly. Agree or disagree? I’d love to hear it!

  4. You vote with your wallet.

    I choose to purchase my parts from smaller distributors and recommend only parts and accessories that are protected.

    MTA, Automatic, K&L have been great to us. We dropped WPS and Parts Unlimited years ago and have not missed them, if it was not for a good rep, Tuckerrocky would have been gone long ago.

  5. Very well said Carl,
    Dealers measure performance in “pace” and “units” delivered and kick customers across the curb as such. For many of those consumers the “unit” will become a lifetime memory and experience and the dealer will likely be forgotten in the process……except as they complicated and frustrated the consumer.
    If you cannot satisfy me as a human……try making sure that my “unit” is treated like something special and you will have me returning to your shop
    Dave W

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