Islabikes will close its doors once remaining stock is sold

Islabikes has announced that it will cease trading once its current stock levels have been sold on. The company is reporting that it does not have any outstanding creditors and remains financially solvent.

Islabikes was founded in 2005 by Isla Rowntree with a mission to create children’s bikes that were designed with the needs of children in mind. Rowntree continued to run Islabikes until January 2021 when majority ownership was handed over to Islabikes' current managing director (MD) Tim Goodall.

Since Goodall was appointed MD the industry in general has faced financial challenges, partly as a fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the cost of living crisis faced by households across the UK.

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After the news was announced, Rowntree released the following statement: "Today, it’s easy to forget just how bad most children’s bikes were when I started Islabikes 18 years ago. They were monstrously heavy, fitted with outsized components, and had dreadful brakes that were out of reach. They were so poor I believed they had the potential to put many children off cycling for life and I founded Islabikes to change that – to give children a better experience of cycling with the many benefits that brings."

With the current financial uncertainty, neither Rowntree nor Goodall wish to continue operating Islabikes and will close once current stock levels are run down.

Islabikes has said that it will honour existing guarantees and will be able to continue supplying spare parts.