Romania made EUR300 million worth of bicycle parts last year or 18% of the EU production by value. It therefore regained the second place after spending years on the third, behind Italy and Germany. Italy has been and remains the undisputed leader, while Germany was competing shoulder to shoulder with Romania and last year lost the second spot after Romania’s production reached EUR300 million for the first time, following a 36% increase on the previous year.
Romania is becoming an even more important manufacturer of bicycles and parts because of the rise in spending on such prouducts in Europe and beyond. More and more consumers are choosing to go to work by bike and more people are starting to exercise.
Under the circumstances, production in Romania stood at 900,000 bicycles last year or 6.8% of the EU production. It was about 10% higher than in 2014 and if the trend continues, 2016 might become the first year when production reaches 1 million units.
Most bicycles made in Romania are exported and can be found in sporting goods stores throughout the world, such as Decathlon.
Foreigners’ appetite for bicycles made in Romania showed in the exporter ranking last year. Three manufacturers of bicycles and parts – Mechrom Industry, Eurosport DHS and Madirom Prod were among the top 200 exporters in Romania in 2015, according to a ZF analysis of the National Statistics Institute data. They are also the top three manufacturers in the country, with 684 million lei (EUR154 million) revenue in 2015, up from RON577 million in 2014. (EUR1=RON4.4549)
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)