Export and Local E-Bike Market Drive Czech Bicycle Industry

The Czech Republic is reputably one of the most significant regions for the production of European bicycles. The country has recorded a remarkable growth in the sales of e-bikes in its local market this year. According to the customer's import data and the local production statistics, the total number of e-bikes produced was about 65,000 units which indicated an increase of 30% from the figures recorded in 2016.

The CEO of Leader Fox, Pavel Muller and the CEO of Apache Bicycles Lukas Barta have acknowledged the significant increase in the sales of e-bikes. In his statement, Pavel Muller indicated that they had achieved a 25% increase in the sales of e-bikes across the various categories and an increase in the market share of 15%; he also mentioned the 40% turnover, while commending the progress of the business in the Czech Republic. One of the reasons for this achievement is the improvement of the local economy which occurred as the country’s GDP rose by 4.7% the previous year.

Stagnation of the Regular Bikes

Apache Bicycles also recorded good sales and revenue in 2017. Lukas Barta stated that “Our bike sales have increased by 40% while there has been stagnation in the sales of regular bikes.” The most significant increase was observed for the sales of the e-MTB category, as confirmed by Lukas Barta during the press interview. It should also be noted that about 95% of the e-bikes sold in the Czech Republic are manufactured in China. Leader Fox CEO Pavel Muller in his reaction to the European Union’s on-going investigation into allegations of improper importation of bikes from China stated that “I do not think that all the e-bikes from China are of poor quality. I am generally opposed to the protectionism, it spoils the market, and it makes the producers in Europe less keen on competition. That is not good.”

Export remain the base of the business

However, the export business is still the source of base support for the bicycle industry in the Czech Republic. According to the Czech Statistical Office, the annual export of e-bikes between October 2016 and 2017 was as high as 109.6 million Euros. In addition, the export of regular bicycles during this period generated a turnover of 142.2 million Euros. The bicycles were mainly exported to countries such as the Netherlands with a volume of 733,600 bicycles and Germany with366, 861 units, and 43,893 e-bikes between October 2016 and 2017.

During the autumn in the Czech Republic, its capital city, Prague was acknowledged as the fourth city in Europe where the ofo bikes were commonly seen in the streets. With a minimum of only 300 bikes, Prague has recorded the highest ratio for the rental of ofo bikes on the international network during the test phase. It is expected that Prague, will be a test location for the new ofo electric powered bike sharing system due to the city’s hilly landscape.