PRATO, Italy - Delivering groceries transporting up to 100kg and covering around 80 kilometers a day demands more from a cargo-bike than what's possible with a standard model. Italian engineering firm Formula and Ello Mobilité took up the challenge and built a fleet of bikes for French supermarket giant, Carrefour.
PARIS, France - The budget crisis in France which led to a lot of political turmoil recently has a big impact on the bicycle and e-bike industry as well. With no previous warning, the Government announced that all state subsidies for the purchase of bicycles and e-bikes will be eliminated on very short notice. The 'Alliance for Cycling' warns of a significant consequence of such a decision for the whole cycling industry.
LILLE, France - Decathlon Pulse, the investment arm and start-up studio of retail giant Decathlon, and Rebike, well known in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) for the refurbishment and sale of second-hand e-bikes, have teamed-up through an investment to boost refurbished e-bike sales in Europe.
ROMILLY-SUR-SEINE, France - Grégory Trébaol, founder of the Rebirth Group, has become the new owner of Cycleurope Industries SAS based in Romilly-sur-Seine, France after the Grimaldi Group decided to divest this unit. In this interview with Bike Europe, the executive explains why he wanted to acquire Cycleurope's factory in France. He also discusses the strategy and investments planned for the next two years.
LORIOL-SUR-DROME, France - Look Cycle Group has announced the sale of the high-end carbon bicycle wheel specialist Corima. The two companies formed together in 2016 when Look Cycle became the owner of Corima. In 2022 the two companies fully merged but have now split up again effective 30 September 2024.
ROMILLY SUR SEINE, France - The operation of Cycleurope Group and Grimaldi Industri AB in France will be taken-over by the Rebirth Holding SAS as of 7 October. In a short announcement Cycleurope reports the transfer of 100% ownership to Rebirth Holding SAS for an undisclosed amount.
PARIS, France - French bike organisation Filière Vélo has introduced the 'Cyclescore' label, a new standard aimed at promoting the French cycling industry while addressing environmental and societal challenges. "It's a voluntary label that aims to provide the best information to consumers," said Florence Le Gall, general delegate of the Filière Vélo.
ANNECY, France - The choice for Alberto Morgando as new CEO by Mavic owner Bourrelier Group last March was the next step in the reorganization of the company. After working together with Jean-Michel Bourrelier on Mavic's future business plan Alberto took up the responsibility of implementing the plan. What can the industry expect from Mavic?
LILLE, France - One of the best known Decathlon executives in the bicycle industry, Didier Morelle has announced his departure from the French retailer. In the past decades, he became a well known face in the international bicycle industry, holding various positions at Europe's largest bicycle retailer, lastly as bike procurement director.
TOULOUSE, France - Due to the Olympic games in Paris, the Pro Days organiser, Département Beauté, had to find a new location for the 2024 edition. The company opted to hold the event in Toulouse from June 23 to 25 at the MEETT venue. Despite the shift, Pro Days managed to remain attractive for a growing number of international visitors.
TESSENDERLO, Belgium - The delivery problems at Shimano Benelux have arisen since warehousing and distribution was outsourced to logistics service provider Kühne+Nagel in 2023. Although Shimano did not give any reasons for the delivery problem, sources indicate that the 'mismatch' between both IT systems is the main cause of the problems.
ALFORTVILLE, France - E-mobility company, Cibox, is relocating its production from China with the creation of a production and assembly factory in Revin, France. The site, which will be operational in July, will assemble 150,000 units a year, produce batteries, and provide after-sales service and recycling. At the same time, the plant will manufacture Cibox's brand, Yeep.me, and for other brands.
ZEIST, The Netherlands - Undeniably European e-bike sales took a step back last year. In 7 European countries which have already reported their market statistics for 2023, the total volume decreased by 8%, from 4,555,264 units in 2022 to 4,178713 last year.
PARIS, France - After four years of strong growth, the French market value of bicycle, parts, and accessories combined decreased by 5.5% in 2023. "There's a dichotomy between bicycle use, which is still growing steadily, and new bike sales, which are running out of steam this year," explained Jérôme Valentin, vice president of the Union Sport & Cycle at the presentation of the 2023 market data.
LILLE, France - In the run-up to the upcoming European Parliament elections from 6-9 June, sporting goods producer and retailer Decathlon calls upon politician to deliver a circular, competitive, and active future across the EU. That includes the European Cycling Declaration, though the sporting goods giant outlined a series of policy recommendations and key priority areas.
PARIS, France - The French government has called for investment projects to take the country's bicycle industry to the next level, both in quality and quantity. The program is part of the government initiative to support innovation and modernization of the transport sector in France by 2030.
LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - One individual and two companies have been found guilty of evading customs duties on the importation of e-bikes from China. The case was investigated and prosecuted by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Brussels last week. In total, the three defendants were found guilty of evading €3.1 million in customs duties and were sentenced to a fine of over €15.5 million each.
GRENOBLE, France - French companies eBikeLabs and Vefaa have announced the creation of an e-bike equipped with eBikeOS technology, one of the first operating systems dedicated to e-bikes. Known as Bonjour Techno, the first prototypes of the e-bikes have been available since March. All units are assembled in Villeurbanne, at the 'Usine à vélo', an assembly factory for other French brands such as AddBike, Cyclik, Vepli and many others.
