EU Bike Sales Improving

COLOGNE, Germany (June 4) - Bike sales in the European Union are improving after the bad start of the selling season. In May the weather throughout Europe was bright and sunny which has had a large impact on the sales of bicycles. In Germany, the largest bike market of the fifteen EU memberstates sales have improved to such an extent that it has almost reached the high levels during the same month in 2000. As reported earlier on this website, during the first four months of this year bicycle sales dropped by 10 to 15% in Germany. The drop in sales follows after a particularly successful year during in which the German bicycle shipments (home production plus imports minus exports) increased to more than 5 million units.
Details about these levels in May were revealed by Rolf Lemberg, managing director of the German Association Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV), during the recently held press conference of the IFMA. Lemberg stated that sales in May increased greatly and reached about the same levels as last year. However, he also indicated that the quantities lost during the first four months of the year were not likely to be made up in the coming months. "Only a warm and sunny autumn could make up for what we have lost at the beginning of the year," said Lemberg.
With regard to the situation in other European countries, bike sales in France dropped by an estimated 5 to 10% during the first four months of the year. Things here have also improved in May, said Brian Montgomery of the Paris based European Bicycle Manufacturers Association. Holland also suffered from poor spring weather and with that a drop in sales. The drop is estimated by industry observers to about 5% during the first four months. Also Holland's hi-end bike market took a turn for the better in May and returned to levels it reached a year earlier. (JO)