Bike shop forced to close after spate of break-ins
ACOTSWOLDS bike shop has closed after more than £30,000 worth of stock was stolen in three break-ins.
Nearly all of the bikes at Performance Cycles in Cricklade Street, Poulton, were taken in late-night burglaries over the last nine weeks.
Andy Kirk, who runs the business with his friend Andy Wilcox, said it would now run only as a workshop, without a retail offering.
Mr Kirk, a father-of-three, said it was a “kick in the teeth” when he found out Performance Cycles had been targeted for a third time, at 10pm on November 26.
He revealed the business had no theft problems in its first nine years.
But the building’s front window was smashed on the night of September 29, when bikes worth tens of thousands of pounds were taken.
These were stashed near Chedworth Airfield and discovered by a passer-by who had been looking for a spot where a photograph from the Second World War was taken.
The walker reported the bikes to police and they were brought back to the shop.
They were damaged, but Performance Cycles repaired them and sold some of them on.
The second break-in followed on the night of October 21, when two bikes worth about £500 were stolen.
And 14 bikes were taken on November 26, some of which had been recovered following the first break-in.
Speaking about the moment he learned the shop had been hit a third time, Mr Kirk said: “I thought it was a bit of a joke.
“We’re going to stop the retail element of the business. That had been on the cards in any case.
“You only have to look at the state of the high street to see the struggles for the retail sector.
“We will now be focusing on bikefitting and performance-testing in the workshop.”
The business is now appointmentonly, which Mr Kirk says will be a shame for the many cyclists who enjoyed stopping by to say hello.
CCTV is to be installed at the premises and security improved following the burglaries.
Mr Kirk praised the police’s “awesome” response, revealing they attended with sniffer dogs shortly after the business’s alarm was triggered on November 26.
A large vehicle would have been needed to remove the bikes, Mr Kirk added.
He said: “I don’t think the bikes will ever be back. I imagine they will be outside the country now.”
Anyone with information or who saw any vehicles in the village at the time should call police on 101, quoting incident number 513 of November 26.