i think hub gears are more popular in europe especially holland etc, but the uk public dont seem to be interested in these types of bikes
The Dutch have an interesting relationship with bikes. And I say this sitting in the biggest city in .NL.
The reason that the Dutch love hub gears is that the Dutch language seems to have no word for "maintenance". You will see them riding round on bikes that squeak, that rattle, and have wheels that rotate on three different axis at once. It's an absolute wonder that they can make any forward momentum at all.
The thing with them is, that for many Dutch people, they will buy a bike, and unless they get a puncture, will have no work done on it in the entire life cycle of the machine. They will literally run it into the ground. Leave it locked up at a station somewhere, and then buy a new one.
The comment from your LBS about hub gears is basically summed up with this:
Having worked in a bike shop, in the Netherlands. I hate. *HATE* hub gears. Esp as they usually come with fuck tons of armour plating. Give me a di2 ultegra bike any day. But, from an end user point of view. They Just Work™. All of the downsides are basically shifted onto the mechanic doing the work.
I have an 8 Speed Sturmey Archer on my Brompton. I replace the cable every few thousand kilometers. And even then that's probably not necessary.
Ultimately, you pays your money and makes your choice.
But I think your LBS sales droid is talking out his arse.
J