Bicycle Retailer and Industry News - Coronavirus

Taiwan to end quarantine restrictions in October

Steve Frothingham — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 17:38:46 +0000

TAIPEI (BRAIN) — Taiwan's Cabinet has approved a plan to end a stringent COVID-19 quarantine requirement that has discouraged foreign visitation. On Oct. 13, the country will likely lift the plan, which currently requires a three-day full quarantine followed by four days of mandatory health screening.

Instead, visitors will be given four rapid antigen home test kits, Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng told a news conference on Friday, as reported in Taipei Times. The visitors would be required to take the tests over a seven-day period.

Also, the current rule will be relaxed Thursday, the paper said, with arrivals being allowed to quarantine in a residence occupied by others as long as they have a room of their own with a bathroom attached.

China Cycle on hold as Shanghai deals with rising COVID-19 cases

DeanYobbi — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 12:22:55 +0000

SHANGHAI (BRAIN) — The 31st China International Bicycle Fair scheduled for May 6-9 at the New International Expo Centre has been postponed as the city deals with rising COVID-19 cases.

The China Cycle Show Organizing Committee announced the postponement on its website, where it said it will release a new date and venue. China Cycle attracts international and local component and manufacturing industry leaders annually.

Last year, more than 1,000 companies attended after China Cycle was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Shanghai had its highest case numbers last week since early in the pandemic. The city, because of its population density, will be locked down in two stages during nine days in early April.

COVID forces CABDA to cancel February show

Steve Frothingham — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 01:21:46 +0000

CHICAGO (BRAIN) — Organizers of the CABDA Expo will not hold their 2022 Midwest Expo, which had been scheduled for Feb. 9-10 in Chicago. The recent surge in COVID-19 cases drove the decision, show director Jim Kersten said.

"This was an agonizing decision," Kersten said. "Anyone that knows me also knows that 'The Show Must Go On' is my personal mantra.

"But the situation we're facing now is too difficult to overcome, and I think postponing the show is in the best interests of the exhibitors and attendees."

Kersten said he decided to make the call as early as possible before exhibitors and retailers began making preparations for the show.

"Even with enhanced mitigation procedures in place like vaccines, masks, and social distancing, we do not know what the situation will look like next month," Kersten said. "The last thing we want to do is to go forward with an event only to have the rug pulled out from underneath us a few days before the show."

Kersten said he would consult with exhibitors about the best time to reschedule a show. CABDA also is working with education partners to turn some seminars that had been planned for the show into online webinars. CABDA also plans on a handful of smaller, pop-up style events that will take place later in the year.

"Our industry is truly resilient, and we know how upsetting this news is to both our exhibitors and our attendees. We'll be working doubly hard to continue producing spectacular B2B events as soon as we are able," Kersten said.

The industry bids goodbye to Friedrichshafen

Steve Frothingham — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 19:15:43 +0000

Stronger than expected international visits a positive surprise at Eurobike.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — On Saturday, Eurobike wrapped up its final show here at the Messe Friedrichshafen, counting a total of 18,770 trade visitors and 13,424 consumers.

While the visitor count was down significantly from the most recent in-person Eurobike, held in 2019, show officials declared it “a big success.”

“Despite numerous challenges, we were positively surprised by the significant international presence. In sunny weather and a positive atmosphere, there was strong business drive, further underling the enormous potential for bicycles.,” said Klaus Wellmann, the CEO of Messe Friedrichshafen.

This year’s show was held as COVID-19 and the delta variant led to travel restrictions and caution, with non-European exhibitors and attendees in short supply.

The total trade visitor count was down 53% from 2019’s count of nearly 40,000. The consumer count was down 37% from 2019’s total of 21,240. The exhibiting brand count of 630 was down from the 1,400 brands on display in 2019.

Visitors came from 68 countries, down from the 99 countries represented in 2019. Stefan Reisinger, the head of Eurobike, said there were more international visitors than expected. Reisinger said there were visitors from Eastern and Southern Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia.

In 2022, the 30th edition of Eurobike will take place from Wednesday, July 13 to Sunday, July 17 in Frankfurt.

“This move represents a huge opportunity. In addition to established topics, there will be new themes and we look forward to widespread interest and further support for the new future direction,” said Reisinger.

Sea Otter Classic announces COVID-19 safety guidelines for upcoming event

DeanYobbi — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 21:06:21 +0000

MONTEREY, Calif. (BRAIN) — The Sea Otter Classic will follow current local and state COVID-19 guidelines and not require masks during the open-air event.

The Oct. 7-10 Classic, which will be held in person for the first time since 2019, will monitor public health conditions leading up to the event and make any changes necessary to its health protocols.

Pre-registration is encouraged for all participants. In addition, Sea Otter will provide digital options for onsite registration and check-in.
Hand washing stations will be available throughout the venue, and all staff, exhibitors and volunteers will be encouraged to wash or sanitize their hands regularly.
All exhibitors are encouraged to have hand sanitizer in their booths and to clean and sanitize frequently.
Cashless forms of payment or digital transactions for passes and merchandise are recommended. Point-of-sale systems will be sanitized regularly.
Guests should social distance from others not in their group and remain courteous about following the protocols.
All policies are dependent on local and state guidelines and may be subject to change.

Sea Otter Australia, scheduled for Oct. 1-4, was postponed in July for a second consecutive year because of COVID-19 concerns. Sea Otter Europe in Girona, Spain, is still scheduled for Sept. 24-26.

Ohio's Recumbent Cycle-Con postponed over COVID concerns

Steve Frothingham — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 00:03:27 +0000

DAYTON, Ohio (BRAIN) — Organizers of the 2021 Recumbent Cycle-Con have postponed the event, which had been scheduled for Oct. 8-10, because of COVID-19 concerns. The 2020 event was also postponed.

"With the current surge in COVID cases, and so many unknowns about what may happen in the next two months, postponing seems like the most responsible thing to do at this point in time," organizers said in a statement Friday.

The Recumbent Cycle-Con has been rescheduled for Oct. 7-9, 2002, at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Dayton. The Recumbent Cycle-Con is part of Cycle-Con Weekend, which includes the Adaptive Cycling Expo, Bicycle Tour & Travel Expo, and the Electric Cycle-Con.

More information at www.recumbentcyclecon.com.

Shimano first-half sales up 73%, income up 152%

Steve Frothingham — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 13:01:13 +0000

Company makes little mention of supply challenges in its half-year report; raises full-year sales and income forecasts.

OSAKA, Japan (BRAIN) — Shimano only briefly mentioned the global bicycle part shortages in a typically terse first-half financial results announcement, which reported that sales in its bicycle product division were up 73.4% in the first half of its fiscal year, compared to the same period in 2020. Operating income in the bicycle division was up 152.1%.

Shimano raised its full-year net sales forecast to 500 billion yen ($4.5 billion), up 9.8% from its earlier forecast. It raised its operating income forecast to 124.5 billion yen, up 18.6% from its earlier forecast. By comparison, Shimano's 2020 net sales were 378 billion yen and 2019's number was 290 billion yen.

Bike-related sales in the first half this year were 212 billion yen and operating income was 58 billion yen. Shimano's fishing equipment sales were up 38.4% to 52 billion yen.

Company-wide, net sales were up 65.2% to 264.7 billion yen and operating income was up 144% to 70 billion yen.

In a brief overview of the cycling market, Shimano said demand remains high in all markets. It said some of its factories "experienced temporary shutdown due to the lockdown," an apparent reference to the closure of Shimano's Malaysia factories in June.

"However, against the backdrop of the new normal, interest in and demand for bicycles and fishing continued to be high, and the Shimano Group increased production capacity at the factories in Japan and overseas," the company said.

Shimano announced last week that its Malaysia factory would be re-opening. It also said it was investing about $300 million in factory upgrades in Japan and a new factory in Singapore.

Shimano re-opens Malaysia factory

Steve Frothingham — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 12:51:02 +0000

Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove the first-quarter financials, which had previously been reported. Shimano's first-half financials will be released in early August.

OSAKA, Japan (BRAIN) — Shimano has re-opened its factory in Malaysia, according to a report out of Europe. The company's factory there had been closed since about June 14, and had operated at 60% capacity for two weeks before that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bike Europe reports that Shimano has announced it is “pleased to announce the resumption of our factory operations from 15 July, as per the permission of the Malaysian government.”

Report: Shimano to invest nearly $300M in Singapore and Japan factories

Steve Frothingham — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 11:00:00 +0000

OSAKA, Japan (BRAIN) — An Asian news source is reporting that Shimano plans to invest $179 million to build a new plant in Singapore that will open next year.

According to the report Shimano also decided to invest another $118 million in its factories in Osaka and Yamaguchi, Japan, to expand production capacity.

Asia.Nikkei.com says Shimano's president, Taizo Shimano, told it that the company is building a facility in the Jurong Innovation District on the west side of Singapore, where an existing plant is also located. The new plant will produce high-end drivetrain parts, the site reports, and is being positioned as a "factory of the future." It was supposed to open last year but was delayed due to COVID.

Shimano first opened a Singapore facility in 1973; it was the company's first assembly plant outside of Japan. It opened a sales office there in 1996.

Shimano forced to shut Malaysia component factory in latest blow to the supply chain

Steve Frothingham — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 22:29:07 +0000

Kent Bicycle's factory in Malaysia is also closed.

OSAKA, Japan (BRAIN) — Shimano's factory in Malaysia will be completely closed until at least June 14 due to an official COVID-19 mandate. Since June 1, the factory had been allowed to operate at 60% capacity.

Shimano informed its customers of the change on Thursday, saying it was uncertain whether it would be able to resume production in any capacity after June 15.

"So far, the Malaysian government has not informed the decisions to be taken after June 15," read a company update that Shimano's Yutaka Taniyama shared with customers. Taniyam is the company's vice president of sales in its bicycle division.

"Our customer understanding is of utmost importance to us and we hope this better informs you our measurements to the situation, always considering the safety of customers and employees in mind," the update continued.

Shimano has in the past manufactured its lower-priced hubs, derailleurs, wheels, pedals, freewheels and brakes at its Malaysia facilities, which it first established in 1990.

Kent International CEO Arnold Kamler confirmed to BRAIN that Kent's factory in Malaysia is also closed until at least the 14th.

On May 29, Malaysia's prime minister announced that the company would be on a lockdown from June 1-14, with many businesses allowed to continue operating at 60% capacity.

Prior to the lockdown, the country was seeing more than 8,000 COVID-19 cases per day. The goal was to bring the number of daily below 4,000, but this week the average daily rate was still above 5,000, prompting the decision to extend the shutdown indefinitely.

The country has had 3,611 deaths due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and 633,000 confirmed cases. Less than 4% of its population is fully vaccinated.

Related: BRAIN 2007 article, "Inside Shimano's Malaysian Wheel Factory."