Fowlers Centenary

Established in 1926, Fowlers has become one of the largest motorcycle dealers in the UK and continues to be operated by the same family to this day.

When Alice and Frank Fowler established a cycle shop in the St Paul’s district of Bristol in the 1920s, they could scarcely have envisioned that a century later it would evolve into one of the nation’s largest motorcycle dealerships. Their son, Harold, joined the enterprise in 1926 and soon introduced motorcycles, laying the foundation for a family legacy that endures to this day. Known to his peers as Harry, he was a distinguished scrambler and trials rider throughout the late 1940s and 1950s, amassing numerous trophies. Under his leadership, Fowlers expanded its offerings to include brands such as Ariel, Matchless, James, Francis Barnett, Norton, Triumph, and BSA, along with Italjet and Watsonian sidecars. In the 1960s, new premises were acquired to meet the demands of the growing business, and, with a forward-looking vision, Harry secured franchises for Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki by the close of the Swinging Sixties.

In 1982, the entire operation moved into custom-built showrooms near Temple Meads station in central Bristol, quickly becoming a local landmark. The fully air-conditioned store offers a huge selection of motorcycles and scooters from over a dozen manufacturers, along with top-notch servicing facilities. Leading helmet, clothing, and accessory brands are displayed on the ground floor, while Harry’s Café sits on a top-floor mezzanine overlooking the bikes. Back in the mid-50s, Fowlers gained the distributorship for BSA spare parts and grew rapidly in the 1970s to become the UK’s largest supplier of genuine parts from top brands. Later in that decade, aftermarket accessories were added, and the Weise clothing brand launched in 1982. Today, Fowlers’ one-stop-shop concept distributes leading brands like Weise and Duchinni Youth clothing, Gear Gremlin accessories, S100 cleaning products, and more. Harry Fowler worked daily until just two weeks before his death in August 2006 at age 94. The family legacy continues with his daughter Stephanie as Managing Director and several grandchildren involved in the business. As Harry often said, “It’s a family business and all the better for it.” Stephanie adds that, while Fowlers is one of the most established names in motorcycling, it keeps up with modern technologies and trends, including eco-friendly practices, while always offering a warm welcome and treating customers with integrity—because when your name is on the door, reputation matters.