Press release PDF

Presseinformation
Press release
Communiqué de presse
Informazione stampa
21st International
Bicycle Trade Exhibition
Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, 2012
Friedrichshafen, Germany
21. Internationale
Fahrradmesse
29. Aug. – 1. Sept. 2012
Friedrichshafen, Bodensee
28/08/2012
EUROBIKE Industry Meeting in Friedrichshafen on August 28,
2012 - The State of German Bicycle Industry in 2011/2012
Press release: VDZ Verband des
Deutschen Zweiradhandels e.V.
Sales situation
The number of existing bicycles in Germany in 2011 was
approximately 70 million units.
Bicycle retailers sold about 4 million bicycles in the last year,
bringing in revenues of 2 billion Euros.
The sale of textiles, replacement parts and repair services
totaled 1.45 billion Euros, meaning that the industry was able
to achieve total revenues of 3.45 million Euros.
Specialty stores and shops sell 70 percent of all units sold;
this amounts to a 78 percent share of revenues. Both figures
represent a light increase over the previous year.
The Statistische Bundesamt registered an increase in
revenues of 6.4 percent.
Research by the VDZ, the German bicycle retail association,
which is based mainly on information provided by specialty
retailers, indicates an average increase of 8 percent during
the same period.
2012
Presseabteilung
Wolfgang Köhle
Telefon:+49 7541 708 - 307
Telefax:+49 7541 708 - 331
E-Mail: [email protected]
1/6
Messe Friedrichshafen GmbH
Postfach 2080
88010 Friedrichshafen
Neue Messe 1
88046 Friedrichshafen
Germany
www.messe-friedrichshafen.de
Sitz der Gesellschaft: Friedrichshafen
Amtsgericht Ulm, HRB 631179
Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender:
Oberbürgermeister Andreas Brand
Geschäftsführer: Klaus Wellmann
Presseinformation
Press release
Communiqué de presse
Informazione stampa
21st International
Bicycle Trade Exhibition
Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, 2012
Friedrichshafen, Germany
21. Internationale
Fahrradmesse
29. Aug. – 1. Sept. 2012
Friedrichshafen, Bodensee
The reasons for this are as follows:
1. Specialty retailers’ share of bicycle revenues rose from
76% in 2010 to 78% in 2011.
2. The number of units sold remained constant. However, the
value per bicycle sold increased.
The average price of a bicycle in 2011 was 500 Euros (460
Euros in 2010). This increase was due, above all, to
higher-priced e-bikes.
3. The larger specialty retailers have especially benefitted
from the trend towards e-bikes. Smaller companies, on the
other hand, have had to cope with declining revenues and
were only able to marginally benefit from the e-bike boom.
They are rarely able to make the higher capital investments
required in the e-bike business. Furthermore, they typically
do not have enough sales and storage space to be able to
offer the wide selection that consumers expect in this
segment.
The relatively high quality that customers demand when
purchasing an e-bike has also led to an increase in specialty
retailers’ share of overall bike sales. Low-priced products
have not yet been able to penetrate this sector, in the
experience of the VDZ.
Due to weather conditions, revenue developments for the
bicycle industry as a whole in the first half of 2012 were not
likely to be satisfactory. The situation improved in July and
August, so that sales revenues for 2012 to date had reached
the level of the previous year.
2012
Presseabteilung
Wolfgang Köhle
Telefon:+49 7541 708 - 307
Telefax:+49 7541 708 - 331
E-Mail: [email protected]
2/6
Messe Friedrichshafen GmbH
Postfach 2080
88010 Friedrichshafen
Neue Messe 1
88046 Friedrichshafen
Germany
www.messe-friedrichshafen.de
Sitz der Gesellschaft: Friedrichshafen
Amtsgericht Ulm, HRB 631179
Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender:
Oberbürgermeister Andreas Brand
Geschäftsführer: Klaus Wellmann
Presseinformation
Press release
Communiqué de presse
Informazione stampa
21st International
Bicycle Trade Exhibition
Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, 2012
Friedrichshafen, Germany
21. Internationale
Fahrradmesse
29. Aug. – 1. Sept. 2012
Friedrichshafen, Bodensee
In the bicycle industry, sales deficits that arise at the
beginning of the season can usually only be overcome with
difficulty.
Dealers’ market behavior
Specialty retailers expect that, in the case of e-bikes in
particular, continued rapid technological development can be
expected. For dealers, this means that they must take care to
ensure that their stocks of products in this segment do not
grow at the end of the season, as this would bring high risk.
In addition to these technical developments, it is expected
that new competitors will enter this market segment. However,
when buying an e-bike, consumers continue to expect a good
selection and high quality, not just of products but also of
service and advice. Thus, it will be possible for classical
bicycle retailers to be able to retain or expand their market
share in this segment.
It must also be kept in mind that market consolidation
processes are underway in the bicycle industry. Large retail
chains (including some from abroad) are expanding more
rapidly and gaining market share. A tendency towards larger
units is apparent in family-owned specialty retailers as well,
with smaller companies losing market share.
Sales by "online retailers” are growing over-proportionally, at
the expense of brick-and-mortar specialty retailers. This is
especially true in regard to accessories.
Classic specialty stores continue to make an effort to retain
their customers through excellent service.
2012
Presseabteilung
Wolfgang Köhle
Telefon:+49 7541 708 - 307
Telefax:+49 7541 708 - 331
E-Mail: [email protected]
3/6
Messe Friedrichshafen GmbH
Postfach 2080
88010 Friedrichshafen
Neue Messe 1
88046 Friedrichshafen
Germany
www.messe-friedrichshafen.de
Sitz der Gesellschaft: Friedrichshafen
Amtsgericht Ulm, HRB 631179
Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender:
Oberbürgermeister Andreas Brand
Geschäftsführer: Klaus Wellmann
Presseinformation
Press release
Communiqué de presse
Informazione stampa
21st International
Bicycle Trade Exhibition
Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, 2012
Friedrichshafen, Germany
21. Internationale
Fahrradmesse
29. Aug. – 1. Sept. 2012
Friedrichshafen, Bodensee
Additionally, smaller companies are increasingly focusing on
a few brands, so as to avoid financing problems and to be
able to place sufficient order volumes with their suppliers.
Profitability
Parallel to the developments in sales, the profitability
situation has developed differently in the different size
classes of retailers.
The expanding companies were able to increase their results
and their supply of capital, despite slightly smaller profit
margins.
In contrast, smaller dealers who were not able to profit from
the demand for e-bikes showed a decline in revenues and
profits, and an associated decline in capital. Expanding
service, the strategy being undertaken by many of these
smaller dealers as a way to compensate for this development,
is cost-intensive and is often only feasible as a way of
securing the business if the owner is personally prepared to
make a high commitment. Furthermore, it is increasingly
difficult for these companies to secure sufficient prices in the
service area.
Trade-ins of "used” bikes have again increased, also for
e-bikes. This has an impact upon the amount of capital that is
tied up in these companies’ storage facilities.
Also, in more than a few cases, it is necessary to intensely
haggle with customers about the value of the trade-in.
However, trade-in offers are increasingly utilized by dealers
2012
Presseabteilung
Wolfgang Köhle
Telefon:+49 7541 708 - 307
Telefax:+49 7541 708 - 331
E-Mail: [email protected]
4/6
Messe Friedrichshafen GmbH
Postfach 2080
88010 Friedrichshafen
Neue Messe 1
88046 Friedrichshafen
Germany
www.messe-friedrichshafen.de
Sitz der Gesellschaft: Friedrichshafen
Amtsgericht Ulm, HRB 631179
Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender:
Oberbürgermeister Andreas Brand
Geschäftsführer: Klaus Wellmann
Presseinformation
Press release
Communiqué de presse
Informazione stampa
21st International
Bicycle Trade Exhibition
Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, 2012
Friedrichshafen, Germany
21. Internationale
Fahrradmesse
29. Aug. – 1. Sept. 2012
Friedrichshafen, Bodensee
as an effective marketing instrument.
Outlook
The stable trend towards cycling is expected to continue in
2012. This will give rise to high demand for high quality
products, including accessories.
Qualified retail specialists are available in adequate numbers,
as is an adequate service network, something which is
important for the acceptance of this form of transportation by
consumers.
Researchers of consumer trends have, in general,
recognized a light movement away from low cost products by
consumers. The strong interest in innovative products and an
increase in the appreciation of quality - in regard to
high-quality products as well as services - should be
welcomed by the cycling industry and will stabilize the
position of specialty retailers in the market.
In the industry’s service sector, a high level of technical
quality is expected. Furthermore, quality communication
between sales personnel and customers must also not be
neglected.
The trend towards e-bikes will increase as the performance
of batteries and motors improves, but competition will also
become more intense in the e-bike sector, both within the
industry as well as with manufacturers from other industries.
This will continue to place high demands on retailers and
2012
Presseabteilung
Wolfgang Köhle
Telefon:+49 7541 708 - 307
Telefax:+49 7541 708 - 331
E-Mail: [email protected]
5/6
Messe Friedrichshafen GmbH
Postfach 2080
88010 Friedrichshafen
Neue Messe 1
88046 Friedrichshafen
Germany
www.messe-friedrichshafen.de
Sitz der Gesellschaft: Friedrichshafen
Amtsgericht Ulm, HRB 631179
Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender:
Oberbürgermeister Andreas Brand
Geschäftsführer: Klaus Wellmann
Presseinformation
Press release
Communiqué de presse
Informazione stampa
21st International
Bicycle Trade Exhibition
Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, 2012
Friedrichshafen, Germany
21. Internationale
Fahrradmesse
29. Aug. – 1. Sept. 2012
Friedrichshafen, Bodensee
their partners and will require a high level of close
cooperation and coordination.
VDZ Verband des Deutschen Zweiradhandels e.V.
Thomas Kunz, Executive Director
Tel: +49 (0)521-965 10 0
Fax: +49 (0)521-965 10 20
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.vdz2rad.de
Note to Editors: Characters (with spaces): 6810
In case of further questions please contact our press
department. They will be glad to help you.
2012
Presseabteilung
Wolfgang Köhle
Telefon:+49 7541 708 - 307
Telefax:+49 7541 708 - 331
E-Mail: [email protected]
6/6
Messe Friedrichshafen GmbH
Postfach 2080
88010 Friedrichshafen
Neue Messe 1
88046 Friedrichshafen
Germany
www.messe-friedrichshafen.de
Sitz der Gesellschaft: Friedrichshafen
Amtsgericht Ulm, HRB 631179
Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender:
Oberbürgermeister Andreas Brand
Geschäftsführer: Klaus Wellmann