Jo Beckendorff

PLOCHINGEN, Germany - It wasn't easy at first for the world's leading sports chain Decathlon to conquer the German market, but the French have learned quickly. For several years now, they have been reaping the fruits of their labor. With current expansion plans setting the tone, Decathlon Germany's 2021 financial figures underline that they are currently doing everything right.

MAGDEBURG, Germany - German bike manufacturer Urwahn Engineering GmbH, which relies on steel in the 3D printing process, has won over "a select group of top-class business angels" to push their business forward. Together they have invested an unspecified seven-digit sum in the young company founded by Sebastian Meinecke and Ramon Thomas.

DARMSTADT, Germany - IoT Venture GmbH, a software developer for e-bike GSP trackers, saw its revenue rise to €4.5 million in 2021. This equates to a tripling of the sales volume compared to the previous year which reflects the booming business of these tracking devices.

OLDENBURG, Germany - Cycle Union's sales, marketing and product managing director Frank Aeschbacher has taken up a new position at mother company Prophete Group. Aeschbacher succeeds Dirk Vroomen and is now responsible for all sales, marketing and product management of Prophete Group.

MUNICH, Germany - The year 2021 had it all: rising inflation, low and even negative interest rates, supply chains constraints, political crises, trade wars, more lock-downs, virus mutations, and so on. Despite all these uncertainties the global stock market trudged upwards, not to talk about the most ambitious 2021 bicycle stocks. How does that match?

WELS, Austria - Austrian powered-two-wheeler giant Pierer Mobility AG has received approval for listing on the Prime Market of the Vienna Stock Exchange. The listing is scheduled for 1 March which will make it one of the 39 largest and most traded companies on the Vienna Stock Exchange.

BASEL, Switzerland - To expand its sports range, the Manor Group will open a stationary shop-in-shop concept in its 59 Swiss department stores with products supplied by Decathlon-Switzerland. In line with Manor's omnichannel distribution, all products will be available online as well.

SUNDERN, Germany - SKS Germany produced no less than 1.2 million air pumps in 2021, plus some 4.5 fixed and 2 million detachable mudguards and fenders. Next to distribution on the company's home market, these were exported to more than 60 countries. Despite Brexit, SKS even increased sales in the UK.

CAMPIA, Portugal - Set up as a joint-venture by three Portuguese bicycle component producers and some partners, Carbon Team's new carbon frame factory in Portugal has started large-scale production. Bike Europe visited this new European carbon serial production facility,

COLOGNE, Germany - The booming and trendy cargobike sharing topic is getting its own European expert conference. The first Cargo Bike Sharing Europe conference will celebrate its premiere on 18 and 19 May 2022 at polisMobility - Moving Cities, a new trade fair in Cologne.