Jo Beckendorff

EL MAR, USA - Benno Baenziger, who was one of the creators of the Electra bike brand, is back with Benno Bikes. It's not an Electra 'replay', but about stylish Cargo & Urban bikes with electric assistance.

VIENNA, Austria - The total number of e-bikes and e-MTB sold on the Austrian market hiked last year by 54.4% to 77,220 units. "Nearly one-fifth of all bicycles sold in Austria is an e-bike," notes Alexander Raffeiner of the Austrian sporting goods industry association VSSÖ.

SURSEE, Switzerland - Hostettler Group reports the acquisition of Bike-Mailorder GmbH & Co. KG with immediate effect. According to Swiss based Hostettler, "Bike-Mailorder is one of Germany's leading webshops". Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

TOKYO, Japan - For the second year on a row, the Japanese bicycle market is declining in volume. Value-wise however, production and import are reaching new highs. This contrasting development is rooted in the depreciation of the Japanese yen. Also, made in Japan e-bikes contributed to the rising value of the bike production and import.

BERLIN, Germany - At the 'Berliner Fahrradschau' that took place from March 18 to 20, a 2-gear bottom bracket drive system debuted. The maker, Kappstein GmbH & Co KG, claims it to be a revolution. However, the Schlumpf drive offers a similar system. Kappstein's Doppio bb drive offers improved usability.

Two years ago Arge Fahrrad, the Austrian association that includes bicycle importers and wholesalers among its membership, decided to cancel its participation of the national trade show 'Best of Bike' in Salzburg. Instead they started their own show named Fahrrad Ordertage. Last year Fahrrad Ordertage debuted on the fairground in Wels. After this successful first

德國，慕尼黑- Winora Group (屬於上市Accell Group的一部分)於二月初慶祝Haibike 設計中心(Haibike Design Cenctre)的設立。值得注意的是設立的位置不在Winora Group靠近Schweifurt、位於Sennfeld的總部，而是在巴伐利亞首府慕尼黑。

MUNICH, Germany - Early February the Winora Group (part of listed Accell Group) celebrated the opening of a Haibike Design Centre. Remarkably it isn't based at the Winora Group headquarters in Sennfeld near Schweinfurt but in the Bavarian capital Munich.

JINHUA, China - US private equity firm Riverside Company, owner of Sigg Switzerland AG since November 2003, sold the traditional drinking bottle company to Chinese Zhejiang Haers Vacuum Containers Co. Ltd.

德國，慕尼黑- 2016年運動用品慕尼黑Ispo展在上星期三落幕，2015年戶外用品市場表現成為亮點。數據清楚表明這幾年兩位數的爆發性成長已經結束了。對今年來說，戶外用品業績樂觀，預計銷售業績有所改善。