We’re seeing a lot of ups and downs in the bike trade these days, so it’s good to report some positive news. Ducati UK recently announced (reported in our July issue) a brand-new retailer in East Sussex, and BDN’s Alan Dowds travelled there to attend the grand opening of Ducati Hailsham last month.
The dealership is a partnership with Sykes Motorcycles, which has been operating in the area for more than 20 years under the ownership of John and Denise Sykes. Sykes currently operates Harley-Davidson and Royal Enfield franchises, and the Ducati store is in a new location, a couple of miles down the road from the Harley store.
The opening day was a big success for the firm, with a massive turnout from local fans. Carl Fogarty was star guest, and it’s fair to say that the WSBK ace remains a big draw, with punters queuing up all morning for selfies and getting signatures on caps, T-shirts, Shark replica helmets and even their motorcycles. I spoke to one 916 owner who was already working out how to lacquer over the precious autograph on his tank…
Aside from top celebrities, the store is a very high-end operation, with ample floor space, a large brand-new workshop installation, and plenty of room in a full-sized unit next door (there are plans to expand with a used bike outlet there in the near future).
I spoke to Steve Willis, dealer principal and MD of Sykes, at the opening event. Willis has been with Sykes at the Harley-Davidson branch for 23 years and is also heading up the new Ducati operation. He was a man with plenty to do on the opening day, but was keen to talk about the experience. I asked him where the Sykes relationship with Ducati began, “Ducati came to see us. Sykes Harley-Davidson is situated on a two-acre site; we’ve a 10-bike bay workshop, separate from the showroom, and a separate facility at the bottom of the yard, which houses 80 bikes. So they were impressed, we’ve put a lot of time, energy and investment into it; we wanted to be a partner, and we were attracted to each other from the word go. The relationship’s been very good.
From left: Fabrizio Cazzoli, Ducati UK MD; John Sykes, Ducati Hailsham owner; Steve Willis, dealer principal and MD of Sykes and Carl Fogarty“It all started when I went to Misano in 2022 [for World Ducati Week]. I remember being in a hotel, and I was Billy no-mates, but there was a group of people from Manchester, and they were all having a laugh. They said, ‘Join us!’ And I sat with them and I thought, this is just like our community down at Sykes, but they’ve got red and black on, not orange and black. But they’re the same: the same humour, the same community spirit – the fact they were riding Multistradas, rather than Street Glides, was the only difference! Everybody loves riding together, having fun, and socialising, so I decided Ducati would probably be a strong brand for us. Plus, it’s a luxury brand, and we like doing customer service.”
The route from 2022 to now wasn’t a smooth one, though, with the firm’s original location ruled out due to environmental concerns. “It took three years to get here. Planning permission took over a year and cost 10 grand for a building that we didn’t own. Our application failed: they did forest searches on erosion and traffic count and all that stuff.”
The final location, which has six new staff members plus additional roles planned, is situated within a trading estate, allowing for existing planning to be leveraged. Willis outlined the work put into making the new store that bit more special. “We’ve got a fantastic relationship with Henry Pearman who has a superb collection of Ducati racebikes now on display in the showroom. Without them we would be like any other Ducati dealer: same bikes, same clothing, same wall cladding! So, our niche has to be high-end, with amazing-looking bikes like the Rossi, Stoner and Capirossi race bikes. We also have three Superleggeras and two Desmosedici RRs as well.”
Ducati Hailsham
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www.ducatihailsham.com