Business Excellence - Small Award - A&L Cycle

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE – SMALL AWARD

STAY FIT AND HAVE FUN

A&L Cycle takes home Business Excellence Small Award at the Brandon Chamber Business Achievement Awards

A&L Cycle, located at 201 Rosser Avenue, specializes in products for running, cycling, paddle sports, fitness equipment, and cross-country skiing. Seen here from left to right are Colleen Wirch, Cam Wirch, Tyler Wirch and James Treloar.

For those wanting to be more active and get outside, A&L Cycle in Brandon is the perfect place to visit. A&L Cycle, located at 201 Rosser Avenue, specializes in products for running, cycling, paddle sports, fitness equipment, and crosscountry skiing. The store originally opened in 1936 under the name Lacey’s Bicycle & Repair Shop before being sold to two gentleman named Alex & Larry, which is when they changed the name to A&L Cycle. In the 1980s, the business was sold again and then in 1982, the Wirch family took over the business and have been running it ever since.

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Cameron Wirch, coowner of A&L Cycle, says that the company’s goal is to get as many people exploring and undergoing lifestyle activities.

“More people cycling, more people out running, walking, getting people out paddling… our goal is to get people as active as possible,” says Wirch, who has worked at the store since he was 15. “That lifestyle carries forward, you can do it at any age. We have 90yearold customers that are out there as well cycling and staying active, so it’s just a really healthy lifestyle.”

Wirch says that they pride themselves on customer service, which results in a lot of repeat customers, as well as the family atmosphere. Wirch, as well as his wife and son are all involved in the business, along with a fourth partner. They also hold a lot of community programs, such as cycling clubs, run clubs, ski clubs, and triathlon clubs, so their customers have become part of the A&L Cycle family as well.

Of course, having been in business for almost 90 years, the company has evolved a lot and has experimented with the types of equipment they sell. Wirch says that they used to sell a lot of downhill skis and snowboards, but found the category slowed down a lot, so they started adding in more fitness equipment over the past 15 years, which is a category that has done well for the company. As well, since business is slower in the winter, offering fitness equipment has allowed them to service, install, and build fitness equipment in the winter, so it allows them to keep their dozen or so staff employed yearround.

A&L Cycle was the recipient of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Small Award at this year’s Business Achievement Awards. This was the first award that the company has won from the Chamber and they’ve been a member for over 30 years. Wirch says that it’s an honour to receive this award from the Chamber and appreciates all that they do for local businesses. He also mentions that he enjoys the networking component of the membership, as it has allowed him to get to know a number of different businesses in the community.

Although this past year was tough for a lot of companies, A&L Cycle has seen an increase in sales due to the COVID19 pandemic. Since people are wanting to be outside more, Wirch says that they have seen a huge surge in sales, not only for outdoor activities, but for the fitness equipment as well.

“There is huge growth in the industries we are in. For example, electric assist bikes are a new category for us in the last few years and they have really taken off. I think that will be a huge growth for people that are unable to ride in normal conditions, such as health issues or if there are a lot of hills around. Electric bikes have been a game changer for those people,” says Wirch. “There’s lots of innovation for the industry we are in, and we have to keep rolling with that. It’s been great.” ¢

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