International
KESWICK, Ontario (BRAIN)—The Bicycle Trade Association of Canada (BTAC) has introduced a new visual identity for both the association and its trade show, ExpoCycle.
BANGKOK, Thailand—With its investment into a 65,000 square foot office and warehouse in Atlanta, Georgia, and Jim Wannamaker at the helm, Thailand’s Vee Rubber is committed to making a play at the aftermarket tire business in North America.
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BRUSSELS, Belgium—The European Twowheel Retailers Association (ETRA) has elected Erik Oddershede as its new president.
Oddershede is the director of the Danish trade association Danske Cykelhandlere, and has been a member of the ETRA Committee for 15 years.
NUNSPEET, the Netherlands—Shimano has created two new product teams to coordinate development of new technology for the Shimano and Pro brands out of the company's European headquarters in the Netherlands.
WETTER, Germany (BRAIN)—German lock leader Abus has taken home the Red Dot Design Award for two of its bike products.
The award went to Abus' new Bordo 6000 foldable lock as well as the Urbanaut e-bike helmet.
MONTREAL (BRAIN)—Quebec’s Argon 18 has signed on ESM Sport as its new distribution partner in France.
As of September 2011, the full line of new Argon 18 products will be available from ESM Sport. The line debuts Sept. 16-19 at the Paris Bike Show.
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN)—Research released by Eurobike shows that more than 4.1 million Germans buy a new bike every year, and nearly 70 percent of those purchases are made at one of 5,640 specialty retail stores.
EUGENE, OR (BRAIN)—Burley Design is expanding its presence internationally with new distribution deals in Poland, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Israel and Italy.
MINNETONKA, MN (BRAIN)—With the latest opening of its store in Minnetonka, Erik’s Bike Shop now operates 17 stores in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The newest is just shy of 7,000 square feet and carries a wider selection of triathlon parts and accessories including deep-rim wheels, wetsuits and goggles.
LAGUNA HILLS, CA (BRAIN) — Claudio Marra (Full Speed Ahead) and Mark Schroeder (Specialized) have joined the newly created Bicycle Technical Committee of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI).
BELFAST, Ireland (BRAIN)—Longtime etailer Chain Reaction Cycles is set to open the company's first standalone storefront later this year, according to UK's Bike Radar website.
Chain Reaction said that it will stock much of the same product as one would find on their website, according to Bike Radar.
AURICH, Germany (BRAIN)—The majority of German bike dealers expect to see at least a 5 percent growth in sales this year coming off a stable year in 2010.
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TOKYO, Japan (BRAIN)—One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded rocked Japan on Friday. The magnitude-8.9 offshore quake quickly unleashed 23-foot tsunami waves, sweeping away boats, cars and homes, while hundreds of people have been reported dead or missing.
PILSEN, Czech Republic (BRAIN)—Former WTB Europe president Katerina Rejchrtova confirmed on Friday that she is in the process of leaving the company.
HEERENVEEN, The Netherlands (BRAIN)—Accell Group’s revenue rose just 1 percent in 2010 as poor weather conditions and unfavorable exchange rates hampered fourth quarter sales.
Still, the company posted an 11 percent rise in net profit due to tax benefits and lower interest charges.
CLOPPENBURG, Germany (BRAIN)—Derby Cycle Werke reported a 30 percent increase in revenue for the first quarter of the fiscal year in its first financial report since going public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange earlier this month.
NEW DEHLI, India (BRAIN)—Hit hard by rising input costs, bike manufacturers in Ludhiana, India, which accounts for over 90 percent of country's bicycle and bicycle parts output, have demanded setting up of a regulator to monitor steel prices, according to India's Business Standard.
DRESDEN, Germany (BRAIN)—Taiwan wheel manufacturer Pro-Lite will begin hand building wheels in Germany to help jumpstart growth in the European market.
TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN)—Taichung Bike Week will be held a week earlier this year beginning on Nov. 29 and running through Dec. 2, organizer Steve Fenton said on Tuesday.