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Adrian Williams (r.) welcomes Andy Smallwood to his company. – Photo Pashley

Industry expert appointed CEO of Pashley Group

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, UK - Pashley Group Limited has announced the appointment of experienced and proven business leader Andy Smallwood to the role of chief executive officer (CEO), effective 3rd June 2024.

Circulatory Capital was a lead investor when Rebike raised €24 million to expand into France, the Netherlands and Switzerland. – Photo Rebike

Private equity supporting growth of micromobility's circular future

EDINBURGH, Scotland - A 9-digit private growth-equity fund which has already supported Rebike, Bike Club and Grover in the micromobility sector, acknowledges that a new generation of businesses are helping to pioneer the sector's circular future. However, "circular innovations deserve a specialist investor," explains Andrew Shannon, founding partner of Circularity Capital.

ePack4 is now available for business lease. – Photo ePack4

Cityshuttle launches the ePack4, the last-mile delivery innovator

LONDON, United Kingdom - A remarkable sight in London's streets: ePack4 which surpasses other last-mile delivery innovators by doubling the standard payload to 350 kg and a capacity of 4 square meters.

“The UK cycling market was impacted by a combination of continued weak customer confidence and unusually mild and very wet weather,” writes the UK retailer. – Photo Halfords

Halfords reduces profit forecast in trading update

REDDITCH, England - In a trading update Halfords Group announced to expect a significant drop in like-for-like revenue growth in its retail business. The company reports a further material weakening in three of its four core markets, including cycling.

Heavy discounting led to slightly improved sales in the latter half of 2023 in the UK, but imports still outweighed sales volumes. – Photo Shutterstock

UK losing heavily in catch-up game with European bicycle market

LONDON, United Kingdom - In contrast to other European markets, where declines in unit sales could be offset against higher sales values, this can't be said for the UK market. The post-COVID downturn in the UK cycling market has seen the total market value fall a further 6% in 2023, following an 18% decline in 2022. On top of that, in 2023 the UK had "the worst mechanical bike sales this century," the latest data confirms.

December is usually a strong month for children’s bicycle sales in the UK, but this wasn’t enough to overturn the deficit. – Photo Halfords

Halfords bicycle sales well below pre-pandemic levels

REDDITCH, England - Halfords has reported a 5.1% dip in its Q3 cycling sales compared to the same period last year. More concerning is that the UK bicycle retailer has reported the cycling market volumes are down 28% from pre-pandemic levels.

The lightweight device contains a 250-watt motor with 50Nm torque, and a battery that has a range of up to 60km. – Photo Skarper

Start-up partners with Red Bull Advanced Technologies on e-bike conversion kit

LONDON, England - Newcomer Skarper has developed a retrofit solution to turn any bicycle into an e-bike. What started with the backing of six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy, the start-up has also teamed up with the Red Bull Formula 1 team's Advanced Technologies division to prepare the device for market launch later this year.

Although several names were mentioned as potential investors for WiggleCRC, it has turned out to be difficult to find a new owner in the short term. – Photo WiggleCRC

WiggleCRC closes international webshops

PORTSMOUTH, UK - Recent developments at WiggleCRC have taken a dramatic course as the company announced it will close down all its international activities. Once at the forefront as 'the' example of how to operate a global webshop, the company has lost its momentum on the overseas markets.

“The fact that chargers were still for sale reinforces the need for urgent changes to the law, strict enforcement and penalties,” says UK consumer safety charity, Electrical Safety First. – Photo Wish.com

Regulation required to ban unsafe e-bike battery chargers and conversion kits

LONDON, UK - Quality issues with e-bike battery chargers have caused reasons for concern in the UK but also in EU countries. One of the largest online sellers of e-bike chargers and conversion kits, Wish.com has banned the sales of the products citing safety risks. Yet there are serious concerns about the enforcement of the new policy.

Halfords reports that a challenging market, weak consumer confidence and unfavourable weather conditions have impacted its cycling sales performance in the first half of the 2024 financial year. - Photo Shutterstock

Small silver lining for Halfords as cycling division underperforms

REDDITCH, England - Alongside mainland Europe, bike sales in the UK have taken a market-adjusting dip this year. Retail giant Halford has reported that sales in its cycling division have been "challenging and below expectations due to the well documented consumer environment." However, bicycle sales are still 'ahead of the market', the company's interim results for the first half of the financial year reports.