Name: Inglis Cycle Centre Ltd.

Year founded: 1977/78

Location: 466 McCormick Blvd. London, ON

Brands: Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Triumph, Ducati, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Vespa, Piaggio, Derbi

Best sales year: 2005

Size: Approximately 26,000 sq. ft., 3,000 sq. ft. showroom; 2,000 sq. ft. parts, service, and accessories; 1,500 sq. ft. service area

Geographic service area: about a 50 mile radius, with traffic for specialty brands coming from farther away

Principals: Gordon Inglis, Mike Inglis, Lorraine Longhurst

Number of employees: 20

Charitable activities: Annual Ride for Dad for prostate cancer, ALS demo ride, Daytona Benefit for Andrew Trevitt, various fundraising events for youth supported living facilities

Awards: Numerous Suzuki and Triumph National and Regional Service Awards

Inglis Cycle Centre is right in the heart of it: auto manufacturers closing, sub suppliers slowing down, and a dealership on every corner—not the most cheerful of market indicators, but nowhere near enough to keep the company down.

London-based Inglis Cycle Centre, run by siblings Gord Inglis, Mike Inglis, and Lori Longhurst, is southwestern Ontario’s largest multi-brand dealership and, despite a challenging market, is still registering overall profitability and optimism. The motorcycling industry has been part of the family for over a century, something that plays as big a part in the company’s success as its careful balance between business sense and love of the sport.

“Years ago the industry was run by pure enthusiasts,” says part owner and sales manager Mike Inglis. “That’s good, but they didn’t progress very far. As the industry broadened beyond the hard cores, we had to become business people too.”

Alan Inglis, Gord, Mike, and Lori’s father, brought many of the business techniques he learned as a general manager in the auto industry to the family business, which he started in 1978—daily operating systems, monthly financial reviews, and regular meetings were just a few.

Mike Inglis breaks down the sales operations by new, used, and finance, but everyone works together for the greater good. “The sales people work to put people into the finance department, and the finance department has done a great job of increasing profitability so we all share in the profits as a team.”

The company stays interactive with local clubs and enthusiasts, and most importantly, doesn’t try to be everything to everyone. “It may hurt a bit because we don’t have that boat or PWC sale,” says Inglis, “but we do specialize and the area cyclists know that.”

Unlike in other geographic areas, in southwestern Ontario you can hit a lot of dealerships in one afternoon, which means every opportunity for a sale counts. Inglis Cycle Centre favours top-notch product knowledge and customer care over high-pressure sales. The store sells nine brands plus ATVs, so there’s a lot to keep up on, but with the Internet creating a new brand of customer that comes in having already done half a salesperson’s work, knowing the products inside and out are a big advantage.

“In this day and age, you really just need to answer the questions and match them to a bike that makes sense,” says Inglis. “You’re not going to sell a guy a GSXR 750 if he wants to go touring across the country.”

This kind of thing still happens, he says, noting a recent customer that came to trade in a 125 scooter he’d just bought because the dealership that sold it to him said he could go anywhere on it.

“You don’t do anyone any service by pushing them into something they aren’t comfortable with or that doesn’t suit their needs.”

Twenty per cent of Inglis Cycle Centre’s total sales are in used bikes and ATVs, an important market in tough economic times. The company leans on advice from the auto industry in this area, making sure every bike on the floor has been reconditioned, certified, and cleaned. The price of reconditioning is built into the trade-in, even if it costs them the deal.

Despite market conditions, the dealership is maintaining profitability, with only minor drops in unit sales, compared to other places in Canada that are seeing an overall decrease in sales by 40 per cent or more. The biggest challenge right now is the market being over inventoried, which puts a lot of pressure on dealers causing them to blow out at a low margin.

“There is too much inventory sent through to too many dealerships, and there are large concentrations in southern Ontario,” he says. “That means the margins are difficult and the competition is tight, making inventory management and profitability our biggest challenges.”

The downturn won’t last, of course, with economic reports already hinting at optimism. Inglis Cycle Centre will only move forward because though they know the industry isn’t an easy one, they’re in it for the long haul.

“You’re insane to do this job just because you hope to make a huge amount of money,” says Inglis. “We’ve been in this 30 years, and my brother and I are still sometimes here at night building bikes. It’s labour intensive and sometimes the returns aren’t what other industries would provide. You have to love it.”

In 2005, the company added an 11,000-square-foot expansion comprising of a warehouse, elevator, loading dock, and larger parts department. There is some talk of another expansion, but not for at least another three years. “We have to know our market so we don’t build a giant we can’t feed,” says Inglis. In the meantime the company will focus on getting better at what it already does by tightening up its control and systems.

The company’s biggest achievement has been growing from a small business where Gord and Mike used to work after school, to a place that supports 20 people and their families. “That gives us some pleasure for sure,” says Inglis. “We are successful because we treat our client base properly and give them a good experience. That’s our crowning achievement: when we see a person happy and riding away.” CPT