Jo Beckendorff

TOKYO-SHINJUKU, Japan - Nine years ago, a local event in the vibrant Tokyo district of Shinjuku started out as a bicycle festival for end-consumers. Over the years it blossomed into a pure B2B event for urban e-mobility. This year's Bicycle-E Mobility City Expo, which ran from 5 to 6 June, also featured two heavyweights from the domestic automotive industry as exhibitors for the first time.

TAOYUAN CITY, Taiwan - Taiwan's folding bike and adaptive vehicle specialist Pacific Cycles Inc. celebrated the ground-breaking ceremony for its third factory on May 18. This is being built on site of the first factory in Xinwu/Taoyuan City. With the construction, the entire company will be turned upside down and orientated towards the future.

TOKYO, Japan - While the corona pandemic caused a veritable bicycle and e-bike boom in the west, this sales boom completely bypassed Japan. The current sales slump therefore isn't based on a sharp drop from new sales records as in the west. For years the bicycle market in the Land of the Rising Sun has been shifting in low gear. The local market slump continued in 2023 and a reversal is not expected in the current year either.

TAICHUNG, Taiwan - Following Taiwan's leading bike manufacturer duo Giant Manufacturing Company Ltd. and Merida Industry Co. Ltd., the country's number 3 bike manufacturer Ideal Bike Corporation has now also presented its Q1-2024 financial report. These figures also underline that producers are still suffering from global overstock and the resulting weak orders from suppliers.

TOKYO, Japan - For many years the Japanese bicycle market has been struggling with declining domestic production and imports. During a visit to the headquarters of the Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute (JBPI) in Tokyo, Bike Europe learned why for foreign suppliers in particular - and despite the sluggish market - it would be worthwhile to have a stand at this year's premiere of the new B2B trade fair Japan Bike Show.

CHANGHUA, Taiwan - Compared to the first sales quarter of the previous year, Taiwan's second-largest bicycle manufacturer Merida Industry Co., Ltd. has had to digest a hefty 29.8% sales drop to TWD 5.86 billion (€167.78 million) in the first three months of the current 2024 financial year.

DULUTH, Georgia - In view of the current problems in the global market, Fox Factory Holding Corp.'s Q1 net sales met expectations; a 16.6% drop to USD 333.47 million (€309.91 million) compared with 2023. Bicycle product sales under the Specialty Sports Group (SSG) umbrella couldn't stop the downward trend but were nearly offset by the sales integration of recently acquired Marucci Sports.

DRESDEN, Germany - Encouragement can be found in German e-commerce bike, running and swimming sports retailer Bike24 Holding AG's first quarter results. Here, an expected return to growth with improved profitability as well as an impressive growth in Bike24's relatively young Benelux country markets can be seen.

WELS, Austria - According to stock-listed Pierer Mobility AG's e-bike subsidiary Pierer New Mobility (PNM) the developments in the bicycle market prompted them to implement a strategic realignment in 2023 already. Now PNM-Germany MD and Sales Manager DACH Bernd Lesch left the company at the end of April at his own request, the company has taken the chance for a reorganization of the management with an in-house solution.

BUDAPEST, Hungary - After securing the intellectual property of insolvent Hagen Bikes AS the Estonian Springdrive is relocating the cargobike production and sales to its wholly-owned Hungarian D2C e-bike manufacturer Blurby Kft.