Jan-Willem van Schaik

BAUNACH, Germany - Messingschlager GmbH & Co. KG has appointed Christoph Bantle and Toni Messingschlager to its executive management. This is part of the company's strategic realignment to place an even stronger focus on the needs of manufacturers and wholesalers in the bicycle industry.

ARDOOIE, Belgium - Combining customisation, design and advice in a technical solution is probably the best way to describe how this Belgium component manufacturer is positioned on the market. For Curana, 2024 was more than challenging - and not only because of the market situation.

EINDHOVEN, the Netherlands - Increasing competition, shifting retailer priorities, and supply chain challenges influenced Shimano Europe's decision to discontinue its custom clothing brand, Milremo and to streamline its regular apparel collection. The production and shipment of the Shimano autumn-winter 2025 collection will proceed as planned, while Milremo customers will have the opportunity to place one final order for their custom clothing before operations cease.

PUNE, India - To expand its reach into mobility products, Indian suspension product manufacturer Gabriel is planning to enter Europe's bike market offering innovative fork and rear shock solutions.

TOKYO, Japan - The bicycle industry in Japan is known to function in isolation, apart from global trends. Domestic sales are largely dominated by low-value, Chinese-made bicycles. But the market is waking up, seeing the benefits of cycling as a means of transport and the positive side effects on health. "The Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute (JBPI) developed various initiatives to open up the market and take it to the next level, including an annual show and market data gathering," said Professor Tetsuya Komagata, President of the Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute (JBPI), in an interview with Bike Europe. Komagata has extensively studied the history of the Japan-China bicycle industry and offered his insights.

IRVINE, USA - E-car manufacturer Rivian announced it has spun out its micromobility business into a new company called Also Inc. Secured by a $105 million (€97 million) investment from Eclipse Ventures, Also will focus on small, lightweight vehicles including e-bikes.

COLOGNE, Germany - Georg Honkomp's decision to step down as chairman of German ZEG, Europe's largest dealer cooperative, had a big impact on the whole organisation. But what else can be expected after he was on the board of directors for more than three decades? The Honkomp era is over as the new board announced a sweeping change of leadership in most of ZEG's subsidiaries.

REDDITCH, England - Contrary to the general trend in the British retail market, Halfords UK reports an increase in bicycle sales in its 28 March trading update. The company's focus on its range of premium mechanical bikes that have a price tag of more than £1,000, as announced last year, turned out for the best.

REICHSHOF, Germany - Schwalbe owner Ralf Bohle GmbH and Pyrum Innovations AG have concluded a framework agreement for the long-term purchase of Pyrum's recovered carbon black (rcb). The agreement covers the purchase of rcb at a fixed price for the next 10 years.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Industry leaders dare to speak out on future developments more openly now the main hurdle of the inventory crisis has been overcome. Giant Group Chairman Young Liu spoke directly to Bike Europe about his plans for production in Europe and his focal points for his first year in this position.