Cool Electro Cycles: the complete customer experience
Back in 2015, Christophe and Nicolas Cool saw the potential of e-bikes, which they regarded as a way to address growing mobility problems. By setting up Cool Electro Cycles, they wanted to set the standard in high-quality e-bikes and do their utmost to give people greater freedom. Today, they offer a wide range of bicycles (city, hybrid, mountain, racing and cargo bikes), as well as electric scooters.
“From the outset, we chose to offer only electric products,” explains Christophe Cool. “Unlike our established rivals, we didn’t have to convert an existing bike shop. As far as I know, we’re the only specialist chain of its kind in Western Flanders.”
Bikes in their natural habitat
The customer experience is all-important at Cool Electro Cycles. “In our stores, we put bikes in their natural environment,” says Christophe. “We display our mountain bikes among tree trunks and rocks. We even have indoor test tracks, including sections of cobblestones and tarmac, where you can try out our products. We work with customers to find the bike that best suits their needs. This generally involves test rides on several different models. It’s definitely true to say that we take an unusually customer-centric approach!”
The company’s repair and maintenance service forms part of the whole customer experience. The same goes for the advice it provides, regarding insurance and number plates for speed pedelecs along with bike leasing. Cool Electro Cycles is also a partner of the five largest leasing companies, which makes life easier for employers and employees who want to use e-bikes for their day-to-day travel.
Eight shops
Six years after starting out, the two brothers now have shops in eight towns in Western Flanders. Each shop has its own maintenance and repair department. “Anyone in West Flanders can get to one of our shops in less than 20 minutes,” says Christophe with a smile. “We opened three new shops last year alone. BNP Paribas Fortis has played a major role in our growth. We started with a small amount of our own money and a “win-win” loan, but without our bank, we would never have got this far. Eventually, we’d like to expand into other provinces.”