HEERENVEEN, the Netherlands (BRAIN)—Accell Group N.V. has acquired Bäumker & Co, a German trading company of bikes and parts and accessories that also distributes Batavus, a brand owned by Accell.
Bäumker operates in its home market via a close regional network of dealers, generally in northern and middle Germany.
Accell Group will finance the acquisition from its own resources and the company will be consolidated this month. The current management of Bäumker will remain in place after the acquisition.
“Bäumker is a strong player in the market for bicycles and bicycle parts in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Through acquiring its distributor, Batavus will be able to—besides the existing sales of Bäumker—expand its commercial activities in Germany that are complementary to Accell Group’s existing sales channels. This also offers more opportunities for the sale of E-bikes,” said René Takens, chief executive officer of Accell Group.
Bäumker was established in 1931 and has around 35 employees. In 2008, the company recorded a turnover of around €10 million with a modest profit.
The purchase expands Accell’s portfolio to include a second distributor. The Dutch company already owns Seattle Bike Supply, as well as numerous bike brands like Bremshey, Ghost, Hai, Hercules, Koga-Miyata, Lapierre, Loekie, Redline, Sparta, Staiger, Tunturi, Winora and XLC. Accell is a major player in the e-bike market as well as a leader in the fitness market in Europe. It posted sales of € 538 million in 2008 and net profit of € 28.6 million.
