Volume 20, nr. 4 April 2016
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Trade Journal for the Bicycle, E-Bike & Scooter Market
German Bicycle Production and Exports Increased Substantially MARKET REPORT GERMANY
P. 07
Show Manager Stefan Reisinger on All Changes at Eurobike FLANDERS’ BIKE VALLEY
P. 14
VELO PARK SHOW REVIEW
P. 10
INTERVIEW
P. 09
With big double digit growth in Europe’s main markets
E-Bike Sales Continue to Amaze AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – It astonished many in the Dutch bike sector; the huge growth in electric bicycle sales in 2015. That growth stood at a big 24%. Also in Germany e-bike sales showed double-digit growth in 2015.
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ccording to industry-association Rai some 53,000 more e-bikes were sold last year in the Netherlands compared to 2014. In that year total sales stood at 223,000 units; in 2015 the total came in at 276,000 e-bikes; re-
E-Bike Share Schemes Start to Roll Out in the UK with Government Funding
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ONDON, UK - In 2015 the UK government made €880,000 available to fund e-bike sharing projects across the UK. The spring of 2016 sees the winning bidders starting to roll out their schemes. Town centre e-bikes for short term use or for tackling some of the UK’s steepest hills, specially adapted ones for those with a disability, for tourists, and staff; were some of the winning ideas awarded funding and are now starting to roll out across the UK.
sulting in a 24% growth. The 276,000 e-bikes sold is excluding speed e-bikes. Sales of this category upped with 43% to 3,571 units. The ebike sales hike made the average sales price for a new bike sold at the Dutch IBDs reach record levels of over one thousand euros - €1,058 to be exact.With the 24% growth e-bikes were the big shining star in a bicycle market that proved depressed for other categories. The total Dutch market saw sales drop by 6.4% to below the one million units level; to 983,000. This drop was expected. As in the last quarter of 2014, bike sales increased to extraordinary levels caused by the end of a tax-incentive scheme on the
purchase of new bicycles used for commuting. With the big e-bike sales growth, Holland shows a likewise development as in Germany. Also in this well-developed market for electric bicycles, 2015 sales posted double digit growth. The sales volume stood at 535,000 units; 11.5% more compared to the 2014 volume. E-Bike production in Germany saw a 37% growth from a quarter of a million units in 2014 to well over 300,000 units last year. In Germany electric bicycles now account for 12.5% of the total bike sales; in Holland the e-bike market share in 2015 reached 28%. This figure is close to the development Bosch predicts for the e-bike
Sri Lanka To Regain EU Duty-Free Import Status in 2017 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The European Union has noted the progress made by Sri Lanka on the criteria for regaining its so-called GSP+ import duty-free status for bicycles imported into the European Union. The GSP+ status saves bicycle exporters from Sri Lanka 14% EU import duty. In 2017 Sri Lanka is expected to be granted this special status again, which made the country EU’s 3rd biggest bike supplying country five years ago. In August 2010, Sri Lanka lost its GSP+ status as a result of alleged violation of human rights. In that year the country exported 1.2 million bicycles to the EU with special trade preferences granted to the country under EU’s Generalizes System of Preferences (GSP). Since losing the GSP+ status, the bicycle exports
from the country dropped significantly; to only a quarter of a million units during the first eight months of 2015. The new government in Sri Lanka is applying for reinstatement of the GSP tariff preferences. Last month the European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, acknowledged in Colombo that, “It is visible that democracy and reconciliation are top priorities of the newly elected government. So now is the correct time and it is the common will of the EU to grant this. We will work together for an early application. The approval process takes about 10 – 12 months. The process is on track and a meeting will take place in April when a delegation from the EU comes.”
market in Europe. Claus Fleischer, CEO of Bosch eBike Systems said in a presentation at Velo-city Global last February, “In Europe the bicycle market will see that eventually every 3rd bike will be an electric bicycle. Sales are growing year-on-year by 15%. That will continue over the next five years. It has brought the ebike market to a sales volume of 2.2 million units in 2015. For this year we expect volume to grow to 2.7 million; in 2020 to 4.7 million and in 2022 to reach 5.9 million e-bikes.” More on the vision of Bosch on the development of the e-bike market is on page 6. More on e-bike sales in Germany - see page 7.
Mach 1 Machinery and Cera Engineering Join Sales Forces
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ARCLOPT, France - Cera Engineering and Mach1 Machinery, have established a new common sales structure - NCM1 - this February. Merging the business capabilities of the two companies is primarily to strengthen their presence in the market. These two French leaders, machinery specialists in spoke and rim manufacturing as well as in wheel building, can service a global client base, thanks to the combination of their respective know-how and the largest range in machinery for the laced wheel industry.