Jo Beckendorff
Jo Beckendorff is correspondent of Bike Europe, RadMarkt, co-founder of Eurobike Show Daily/ESD and Taipei Cycle Show Daily/TSD, amongst other things, and based in Munich, Germany. As a freelancer he concentrates on reporting for national and international bicycle, outdoor/sporting goods industry and retail magazines.
Contact info
- Email:
- jo@pooltown.eu
News briefsNew Cycle becomes shareholder and partner in Freebike
Oldenburg, Germany-based New Cycle GmbH (formerly Cycle Union) has joined Dutch e-bike provider Freebike B.V., based in Rosmalen, as a minority shareholder. Details of the acquisition, what minority stake New Cycle is now holding in Freebike and what was paid for it were not disclosed.
ArticleR Raymon and Pierer New Mobility part ways
The first rumors of a separation surfaced when the R Raymon bicycle brand, founded by German bicycle industrialist couple Susanne and Felix Puello, was not featured at this year’s Pierer New Mobility booth at Eurobike in Frankfurt. Now Pierer New Mobility and the Puellos have announced they are going their ...
News briefsMavic bolsters OEM offering with business unit manager
Targeted investment in the modernization of domestic production facilities at its historic Saint-Trivier sur Moignans production site will enable Mavic, the traditional French bicycle components brand to respond even faster to the changing needs of its customers, the company said. In this context, François Joly was appointed to the team ...
News briefsSRAM Group expands leadership team
SRAM Group, the parent of the bicycle component brands Avid, Hammerhead, Quarq, RockShox, Truvativ, Quarq, SRAM, Time Sport Pedals, Truvativ, and Zipp and bikewear brand Velocio, has expanded its leadership team with both an internal promotion and a new hire. The new executives work out of the global headquarters in ...
News briefsGerman bike chain B.O.C. continues expansion
On Sept. 28, German bicycle chain and omnichannel retailer Bike & Outdoor Company GmbH & Co. KG (B.O.C.) will open its 44th store nationwide in the Ruhr metropolis of Essen. The new store is located at Altendorfer Strasse 11 in what used to be a Conrad Electronic store. With an ...
News briefsSpecialized opens new bike store in Munich
After the long-time Specialized Concept Store Munich operator Alpha Bikes showed the American bike maker the red card (after 24 years, Alpha Bikes was not happy about the distribution change of Specialized in the direction of omnichannel and direct shipping) and turned to the bicycle manufacturer Giant Group (brands Cadex, ...
News briefsTrerè’s Titici bicycle brand opens US subsidiary
Premium bicycle brand Titici opened its first US subsidiary in Boston, Massachusetts, in August. The brand, under the umbrella of Italian textile supplier Trerè lnnovation (manufacturer of technical apparel brand UYN Sportwear, among others), aims to score points in the US with its road, gravel, mountain and e-bike products. Thanks ...
ArticleVW’s financial service takes a stake in Pon’s bike leasing subsidiary
On Sept. 4, the Volkswagen Group announced in a side sentence at a press conference (much of which was about cars and less about bikes) at the IAA Mobility press day in Munich that it planned to enter the bike leasing business. Pon Holdings B.V., a company familiar with the ...
ArticleKSR Group files for court-supervised restructuring proceedings
Austrian two-wheeler wholesaler and importer KSR Group announced on Sept. 6 that it will file for court-ordered restructuring proceedings. Due to increased energy prices, high inflation and the loss of customers’ purchasing power, the economic situation has changed drastically over the past year in the markets served by the family-owned ...
News briefsPon.Bike acquires Italian cycling shoe brand Nimbl
Pon.Bike, the subsidiary of Dutch family holding company Pon Holdings B.V., which has become a leading European cycling company with more than 15 brands, has acquired the emerging premium cycling shoe brand Nimbl, based in Porto Sant’Elpidio, Italy. Details on the sale price were not disclosed.
ArticlePierer reports strong H1 sales and revenue, PTWs offset bicycle sales
Pierer Mobility AG achieved record sales of EUR 1.39 million in the first six months of the year (+20.2 percent compared to the first half of the prior year). This result is mainly due to the excellent development of the PTW (Power Two-Wheelers = motorcycles and e-bikes) business.
News briefsMaker of custom bike brand Müsing insolvent in self-administration
The German manufacturer of custom bike brand Müsing, Radsportvertrieb Ditmar Bayer GmbH, is in financial difficulties due to a severe drop in sales caused by the challenging times. On Aug. 23, the district court in Montabaur, Germany, officially confirmed the company’s insolvency in self-administration. During the reorganization procedure, business operations ...
ArticleR&M switches to reusable packaging for e-bikes and small parts
German e- and cargo-bike manufacturer Riese & Müller GmbH (R&M) has announced it is soon to be one of the first manufacturers in the bike industry to use reusable packaging for shipping e-bikes and small parts.
ArticleLeatt’s 2023 numbers make 2022 look like a dream
Leatt Corporation swallowed another double-digit 31.2 percent preliminary revenue decline down to US$12.35 million (€11.27 million) in the second quarter of its current fiscal 2023. But there may be some good news on the horizon for the protective equipment maker.
ArticleMerida H1 sales and profit down
In the first half of 2023, Taiwan’s second largest bicycle producer Merida Industry Co, Ltd. posted a single-digit sales drop and a double-digit profit drop, mirroring that of its compatriot and leading bicycle producer, Giant Manufacturing Ltd.
ArticleDespite positive signs, Bike24 posts further losses due to high future investments
In the second sales quarter of 2023, German e-commerce bicycle retailer Bike24 Holding AG brought in revenues of €62.9 million, down 6.1 percent compared to the same period in 2022. But there are some positives on the horizon, with the measures introduced to increase profitability beginning to show effects.
ArticleGiant Group H1 down in the west but up in China
In the first half of 2023, Taiwan’s bicycle producer Giant Group reached consolidated overall sales of NT$42.58 billion (€1.22 billion). A 5.4 percent drop compared to the first six months of last year, but one region showed a strong sales performance.
ArticleFox Factory’s PVG & AAG sales increase offsets SSG sales decline
The bad news first: Suspension expert Fox Factory Holding Corp.’s (Easton Cycling, Fox, Marzocchi and Race Face brands) cycling business, grouped under Specialty Sports Group (SSG), slumped again in the second sales quarter of current FY 2023. The good news is that sales increases at its sister group Powered Vehicle ...
ArticleCiclo Fapril expands cargo bike frame production
To be at the forefront of the current cargo bike trend, the traditional Portuguese bicycle component manufacturer Ciclo Fapril, Industrias Metalurgicas, S.A., is expanding its production facility. The new space is expected to be completed in April 2024 and fully operational within a year.
News briefsFox Factory releases Sustainability Report 2022 with targets for 2030
Stock-listed chassis and suspension expert Fox Factory Holding Corp. released its 2022 global sustainability report. It is not only highlighting today’s company’s strategy and achievements but also introducing the next stage of its sustainability journey by setting 2030 aspirations for positive impacts across its operations and communities.
