The Netherlands

HEERENVEEN, the Netherlands - Intense discounting drove Accell Group's revenue down by 22% from €1,294 million in 2023 to €1,003 million last year. The company reports that the results were heavily impacted by one-offs, while market conditions remained challenging.

ZEIST, The Netherlands - Will the European e-bike market ever reach the market share of 70%-80% that industry insiders dreamed of during the boom years of 2017-2019? An overview of e-bike market share by sales volume in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain and Switzerland clearly shows a slowdown in sales and even a contraction in some markets.

Will the e-bike market in Europe ever reach a market share of 70% or even 80%, as predicted by industry insiders during the boom years of 2017-2019? An overview of e-bike market share by sales volume in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Switzerland clearly shows a slowdown in sales, and even a contraction in some markets, but there are some silver linings. This online magazine examines the current sales trends across Europe.

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LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Several European countries have been implicated in a new investigation of customs fraud in connection with disassembled Chinese-made e-bikes. Led by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Portugal, 16 searches were conducted yesterday in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal, in order to collect evidence in an investigation codenamed 'Pedelecs'.

AMERSFOORT, Netherlands - Dutch battery repair specialist Nowos has raised €6 million in new equity funding to accelerate its pan-European growth and push lithium-ion battery repair as a main component to developing a circular economy. The round's lead investor is Paris- and Singapore-based venture capital fund Shift4Good, with participation from Fair Capital Impact Fund and Goeie Grutten Impact Fund. An additional €3 million in debt financing is still being secured.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - Pon Holdings has made significant strides in 2024 towards enhancing its focus on mobility through strategic investments and divestments. Despite market uncertainties, Pon Holdings recorded stable revenues of €9.9 billion, matching the prior year's results normalised for divestments.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - Pon has announced the sale of Dockr, its cargo bike subscriptions system to micro mobility supplier Today in shares. "With this acquisition, we are accelerating our vision of making micromobility solutions accessible for all," said Sean Flood and David Touwsma, co-founders of Today.

BERLIN, Germany - Massive discounting campaigns to reduce inventory levels in the market pushed down the average e-bike retail price and market value in Germany last year. While sales volume remained relatively stable, the revenue from bicycles and e-bikes totalled €6.33 billion, down 10.1% from €7.06 billion in 2023. This is still significantly higher than the sales value of €4 billion in 2019.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - Fundracer as announced that Annika Fischer has joined the investment fund dedicated to future mobility as a Venture Partner. She has built a career at the intersection of finance, HR, and sustainability, reports Fundracer.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - E-bikes continue to be the driving force for the Dutch market. The total e-bike market volume ended at 409,467 units, representing a market share of 47.7%. The total number of bicycles and e-bikes combined ended at 858,126, down from 919,101 in 2023. This year, the national industry association RAI Vereniging included fatbike sales for the first time in their annual report which has resulted in a major shift in the statistics.

BUNNIK, the Netherlands - Klever Mobility has centralised its European organisation in its existing office in the Netherlands. The company reports that this strategic decision will enable them to operate more efficiently and provide better service to dealers and customers in Germany and Switzerland. As part of the reorganisation, the office in Cologne, Germany will be closed soon.

AMSTELVEEN, the Netherlands - Ahead of the publication of the official 2024 sales statistics in the Netherlands, market researcher GfK-NIQ reports a shrinking market for e-bikes for the second consecutive year. E-bike suppliers are looking for new ways to regenerate the market. Leasing and employee benefits program are important drivers to expand the market again.

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - An investigation into suspected large-scale customs fraud related to the import of e-bikes from China is being led by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In this latest case where the e-bikes are known to have entered the EU via Poland, the unpaid duties add up to an estimated loss of €1.8 million.

HEERENVEEN, the Netherlands - Accell Group has completed its recapitalisation process after it secured sufficient support from its key stakeholders last November. The sanction hearing in the English court on 23 January 2025, at which the court sanctioned the recapitalisation following the agreement that Accell reached with the majority of its financial stakeholders in October 2024, was the final step before yesterday's finalisation.

EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands - Shimano Europe is extending its cooperation with GXO, a company that manages outsourced supply chains and warehousing, to perform logistic services across Europe. The component manufacturer will now move its warehouse operations in Belgium to GXO's facility in Venray, the Netherlands.

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg - Four suspects have been arrested in The Netherlands on suspicion of large-scale customs fraud involving bicycles imported from China. The value of the alleged fraud is over €7 million.

HEERENVEEN, the Netherlands - Accell Group's chief operating officer (COO) Jonas Nilsson, will become CEO of the group, succeeding Tjeerd Jegen, who is stepping down and will transition to chair of the group's supervisory board. The CEO transition will take place over the coming months, up until 1 April, 2025, with the Chair transition taking place later this year, to allow for a cool-off period in line with good governance practices.