HEEREVNVEEN, Netherlands (BRAIN)— Accell Group N.V., the Dutch group that owns Seattle Bike Supply as well as the Batavus, Koga, Sparta, and other European specialty brands, has bought Van Nicholas, a Dutch titanium bike manufacturer.
Van Nicholas will retain its own brand and identity, the company said, but will fall under the management of the Koga subsidiary.
Van Nicholas and Koga are in a similar phases of growth in the market, said René Takens, Accell Group’s CEO, in a press release.
“The acquisition additionally provides valuable know-how, which we can deploy in R&D across the whole group. … The company is an excellent fit with our portfolio and strategy,” Takens said.
Jan-Willem Sintnicolaas founded Van Nicholas in 2006; the company is based in Numansdorp.
Accell Group’s best-known brands are Batavus, Koga, Sparta, Winora, Hai Bike, Ghost, Lapierre, Atala, Redline, Tunturi and XLC. It bought the U.S distributor Seattle Bike Supply in 2006. The company has production in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Hungary and Turkey. Accell Group shares are traded on the NYSE Euronext in Amsterdam. (Stock quote). 2010 revenues were 577.2 million euros ($765 million).
