Bike Sales in France Drops Slightly

SURESNES, France – Last year, the number of bikes sold in France dropped slightly while in term of value it grew. According to the French industry association Tous a Velo, sporting goods retail chains like Decathlon and Go Sport remained the number one distribution channel.
 
3.417.100 bikes were sold in France last year for a value of € 897 million. In units total sales dropped 3.5% while in value a plus of 1% was recorded compared to 2007.

The French industry association Conseil National des Professions du Cycle also know as Tous a Velo, reports that also in France e-Bikes scored a big plus in sales. In units 62% more electric bicycles were sold. However, the market for this new bike category is still small as a total of 15,700 e-Bikes were sold in 2008. ATB’s (for adults and juniors) are best sellers in France, representing 46% of the total sales with 1.560 millions units.

Sporting goods retail chains like Decathlon and Go Sport were the number one distribution channel where in 2008 50.5% of all bikes were sold. IBDs sold in units about 25% of all bikes. However, dealers were also in 2008 the leading distribution channels in terms of value.

France ranks as the fourth biggest market for bikes in terms of consumption related to the total number of inhabitants after Japan, The Netherlands, and the United States with 5.4 bikes per 100 inhabitants.

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