An independent sports shop in Devizes is hoping to keep sales on an upward curve as it expands.

Push Active, which opened 18 months ago and sells running, walking and fitness gear, is opening a cycle shop in the empty unit next door to its shop in Snuff Street.

Owner Paul Nichols said the new shop was as a result of customer feedback.

He said: “People were coming into the shop and wanted us to get some bike apparel in. If you are a cyclist your second sport tends to be running and vice versa.

"We got some bike clothes in and we sold some. It grew organically and went quite well so we thought why not get some bikes in and we sold two or three.

“The unit next door was empty and it made sense for us to have a bike shop there. It’s just about big enough to have a reasonable range for the locality.”

Despite there already being a bike shop in Devizes, Mr Nichols said he believes there is room in the market for his.

His running store is able to do gait analysis of customers to determine what style running shoe would suit them and his bike store, which opens on Saturday, will do bike fitting to measure customers for bikes.

Mr Nichols said: “We will have a much more varied range of bikes, with Trek, Scott, Bianchi and childrens’ bikes from Frog.

"The bikes will be from road to mountain and there is a workshop where we can do bike maintenance and repairs.

"We are a female friendly store and the growth area in the bike market is ladies’ cycling.”

Mr Nichols had two staff when he opened his original store and he has now taken on three extra employees – apprentices Anna Brooke to work in the running store and Dan Buckingham to work in the bike store and Bruce Chappell to manage the bike store.

Mr Nichols said he was pleased with how his shop had been received by the public and said while he cannot compete with online sites for price his shop prides itself on offering excellent customer service and as a result the shop is getting repeat business as well as new customers.

He said: “Business has gone up a little bit. We are ahead on sales like for like. People who came in originally are coming back for more trainers.

"I think people are quite happy to pay what the recommended retail price should be as long as they feel they are looked after in the store and if they have an issue we sort it out. We look after our customers. Also, you can’t get gait analysis and bike fitting done online.”

His customers come from Devizes and surrounding villages, Marlborough, Chippenham and Trowbridge.