VANCOUVER, British Columbia (BRAIN) Feb 2, 00:21 MT—Germany’s Ghost bikes will be sold in North America for the first time through an exclusive agreement with Mountain Equipment Co-op, the Canadian retailer announced on Wednesday.
The deal marks the first time MEC has sold a brand other than its company branded road, mountain, hybrid and urban bikes, since it began selling complete bikes in 2010.
“When we looked at expanding our mountain bike offering we knew we had to partner with one of the industry’s leading brands. Ghost was an obvious choice for us due to their complete offering of bikes and cutting edge technology across the line,” said Tim McDermott, MEC’s bicycle product manager.
Ghost has been owned by Dutch powerhouse Accell Group since 2008, and already has a presence in more than 30 countries in Europe and Asia. The company is based in Waldsassen, Germany, near the Czech border bikes are designed and engineered.
Initially, MEC will stock seven Ghost full suspension mountain bikes, two hardtails and one road bike to complement its offering of entry to mid level bikes under the MEC brand. Most of the Ghost line is priced at $2,000 CAD and higher. The bikes will be available in all 15 MEC stories, although selection varies at each location.
MEC reported annual revenue of $261 million in 2010, and has 3.3 million members who paid $5 for a lifetime membership. Similar to the REI co-op in the U.S., MEC pays annual dividends to its members.
