FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN)—After more than two decades in business, Brompton has built a loyal following around the world. But until now, someone searching for the British folding bike maker at Eurobike would have been out of luck: This is the first year Brompton has had its own booth in Friedrichshafen.
Breaking into the show was a top priority of marketing manager Emerson Roberts, who joined Brompton in 2006.
“The first thing I did was say, we’ve got to go Eurobike.”
It took two years to get off of the show’s waiting list. Even then, it’s a good thing that Brompton’s products are made to fit into small places as the Brompton booth is in the very farthest corner of A7, against the unfinished walls of one of the Messe’s two halls that are still under construction.
Still, Roberts isn’t complaining.
“The first three days have been quite big,” he said. “We’re meeting all of our key distributors.”
Roberts said he also has been surprised by the geographic representation of retailers.
“I’m amazed how many of our UK dealers are here,” Roberts added. “They’re just coming here and looking at trends.”
Germany is the fourth-largest export market for Brompton, which still manufactures every folding bike in England. Other top export markets are the Benelux countries, Japan and Spain.
The company is aggressively tackling new markets and has piggybacked on cycling’s booming growth in several Asian countries, including Taiwan and Korea.
“We’re trying to go after growth everywhere,” Roberts said.
Roberts said the Brompton factory in western London has a current capacity of 25,000 units a year and could double output if needed.
—Doug McClellan
