PARIS, France - Despite the increase of the Covid-19 pandemic and more and more restrictions, the French trade show Pro Days took place in Paris (Porte de Versailles) from September 20 to 22 with an opening to consumers on the last day. Organiser, Département Beauté, said it was the first trade show to be held in Europe. A real breath of fresh air for the brands and the retailers a few weeks from Eurobike.
SCHLITTERS, Austria - Nox Cycles, the sister brand of Hawk Bikes, was founded 16 years ago by the late Lorenz Hoser and his team in Berlin. Since 2017 the company has relied on its own close to the market e-bike production site in Austrian Ziller Valley. Now the activities of local Nox Cycles Austria GmbH, based in Zell am Ziller, will be significantly expanded.
LA-ROCHE-SUR-YON, France - Arcade Cycles is one of the biggest bike manufacturers in France with a production of 50,000 units (e-bikes included) per year. With a strong focus on rental bikes, the Covid-19 crisis has impacted Arcade Cycles' production, but the French manufacturer has succeeded in limiting the drop in activity and is now eyeing an increase of its turnover for the 2019-20 fiscal year as production ramps up.
KONSTANZ, Germany - D2C-supplier Canyon Bicycles GmbH ended the financial year 2019/2020 (September end) with a record sales turnover of €400 million, an increase of 30%. Company founder and CEO Roman Arnold believes that the time is now right to set the future course for further growth, including changes to top management and enticing new investment partners.
TAIPEI, Taiwan - In the first half of this year, Taiwan increased its e-bike exports to 410,000 units or 21%. Export values of e-bikes reached NT$523 billion, on par with regular bikes which stood at NT$583 billion.
REDDITCH, UK - A couple of months ago Halfords, the UK's largest bricks and mortar cycle retailer, posted Q2 results for the 13 weeks to July 3rd showing an incredible 57.1% like-for-like growth in cycling sales. Now they've reported a 230% year-on-year increase in e-bike and scooter sales. But will the 'Covid effect' last?
SOLOTHURN, Switzerland - The Swiss bicycle trade can look back on a successful 2019: the number of bicycles sold increased to 363,497 units, an increase of 5.2%. The sales growth in 2019 doubled compared with 2018. The market expansion was mainly due to high demand for e-bikes, where the market share increased from 32.3 to 36.6%, the industry association Velosuisse reported.
BAD SODEN, Germany - Bicycles and e-bikes have become the mode of transport of the hour, defying the corona crisis, the German bicycle association, Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV) says. Figures they released today show a 15.8% increase in e-bike sales in Germany in the first half of 2020 and the association is optimistic about reaching 2019 sales levels by year end.
EASTLEIGH, UK - Selling one tool in one market, making his kitchen table his office. That's how Chris Parr founded Pro Bike Tool in 2015, like so many start-ups in this industry. Now, five years later, he co-directs the business with his wife Nicole, and together they manage a small team of expert specialists working across the globe.
COLOGNE, Germany - "I'm a little bit nervous for 2021, but 2020 was ok," was the summary of Zweirad Einkaufs Genossenschaft eG (ZEG) chairman Georg Honkomp as this year's extended dealer show event came to an end. In a year like no other, how is the German bicycle cooperative anticipating future developments?
