 What a bunch of marketing, pseudo-political bobbins.
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 The plymouth one is shite...(certini) it was fun picking up a roubaix race bike frame and thinking fucking hell this feels like a tennis raquet though.
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I wasn't having a dig at the 'concept store' idea (although I do think that it's crap) but the babble in the press release quoted in the article.
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That wasn't babble! You should hear the marketing bollocks I've got to listen to on a daily basis!
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 mmmmmm let's leverage that paradigm
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 SBCU (Specialized Bicycle University) trained.... issuing degrees aswell I guess, like the macdonalds ones last month 
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 SBCU (Specialized Bicycle University) trained.... issuing degrees aswell I guess, like the macdonalds ones last month I've got one of those. It had to endure 5 days in California to get it.
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 I've got one of those. It had to endure 5 days in California to get it.
Did it cover language skills?
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 yeah jd,you dumbass did you not go to school,you have upset this chap above me please dont post again and leave the site certini is a top store imo,and its in saltash CORNWALL ,not plymuff
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The building in Park Street has a great depth of architectural design. Specialized's store designer has created a store that will function well within this environment, while enhancing its character and responsibly maintaining its features. But do you sell just one of these
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BHB what is it you dont think is any good about certini/there concept store and if it is that crap why do you go there every day ??
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 Well i just wasted my time driving a 50 mile round trip to the one in Fort Dunlop Birmingham and was extremely disappointed. Way smaller than i expected with a very small amount of accessories and low levels of stock. Didn't have a 26" Nimbus tyre in stock (the main reson i went), no shoes in my size, very little clothing and apart from a good selection of shiny new bikes, very little of interest at all. When i was in London at the weekend the local Evans store was way better in every respect. Not a place i shall be returning to at any time soon....... 
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fort dunlop is by reputation the worst of the current 3, small no stock and clueless staff are common complaints on here and other forums.....
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 I've been to the Specialized Concept Store in Morgan Hill (Home of SBC for anyone who doesn't know) and it was a BIG let down. Brand new building, vast amounts of space and 10 bikes on display. Worse - when I asked if they had a bladder for my camelbak - the manager MANAGER! stared at me blankly. And no, it wasn't because of my accent. They had a total of 9 tyres available and in pride of place (in a Specialized store mind you) was a Full suspension Orbea. I found the bladder for my 'bak on my own in the end, it took the manager another 5 minutes to figure out how to take my payment. I won't be going back again. I've got nothing against Bike Manufacturers going this route (own brand stores) but if you're going to do it - do it well. If they couldn't even get it right less than a mile from their headquarters... Well. I don't think I need to say anything else about that. Certini is in Saltash but to all intents and purposes (being just over the Tamar and on the A38) could be considered Plymouth. You Cornish types are so touchy!  Ahhh... I can feel the flames forming already...
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so on that basis Cardiff being just over a bridge and on the M4 is in fact in england !! Numpty. Xcommie you're a sad man,and i pity you.
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Congratulations JD! You win the award for 'First poster to take the bait' Stand, accept your applause and be proud. Then JD, take a look at this: http://www.certini.co.uk/ (What's that in the top right hand quarter of the Certini homepage? A big sign saying 'Specialized Concept Store, Plymouth'?) And taken from the BikeBiz site (sorry Mike) "The Plymouth store opens on 10th March and is the second Specialized-only store in the UK.
Certini Bicycle of Saltash, Plymouth, will be opening Specialized’s second Concept Store in the UK." And incidently - Cardiff is hardly a suitable example in the 'argument', Seeing as it's in another Country (even though part of the UK), has it's own Postcode and phone dialling code... Now Sir, I would appreciate a retraction of the 'numpty' comment or I shall be forced to taunt you a second time. And be sure to take everything in the spirit in which it is intended
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Concept stores have their place. Apple do it well by being different from their competitors and having products that are less mainstream and a bit 'left-field'. I can respect that, even though I would probably never consider buying 90-odd % of their products. Spesh - IMO - have the most 'vanilla' bikes out there. They aren't a niche brand who choose to plough their own furrow and appeal to a sector of the market in the same way Apple do. They do some things well - I love their shoes and gloves for example - but as a company they are a broad brush and not a caligraphy tip. As such, the concept store doesn't work, but a network of own brand stores that stock everything, pile it high and sell it cheap (without the need to carry dealership mark up) would work very well - a la Decathlon. Lets be honest, if Spesh did this and chocked 10-20% off their RRP by selling direct, they'd clean up.
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