Castelli and Sportful have confirmed their future in the UK following the collapse of the brands' previous distributor.
Castelli had worked with Saddleback, which went into administration in May, for more than 20 years, while sister brand Sportful was added to the distributor's stable in 2020.
MVC Group, the parent company of Castelli and Saddleback, has now confirmed "the establishment of a new direct operating structure in the United Kingdom and Ireland", working with retailers directly rather than via a distributor.
"MVC Group’s immediate priority is to ensure continuity for retailers and riders across the United Kingdom," reads a statement released by the Fonzaso-based company.
"The company is already working to restore normal supply operations and expects product availability for UK retailers to resume shortly through the new UK organisation."
Consumers can also continue to buy directly from the Castelli and Sportful websites, with MVC Group assuring UK customers that they will not incur any additional costs.
"To ensure a seamless customer experience, MVC Group will cover any duties, import charges or additional fees," according to the statement.
Emilio Foà, CEO of MVC Group, describes the UK as one of the company's "most important markets", with the Italian firm "fully committed to supporting British retailers, teams and cyclists".
He continues: "The creation of MVC Group UK Ltd represents an important investment in the market and will allow us to strengthen our service, our relationships and our long-term presence in the UK."
What happened at Saddleback?
Saddleback went into administration on 29 May, with 42 staff immediately losing their jobs.
"Unfortunately, the business has faced increasingly difficult market conditions in recent years," said Jonathan Dunn, appointed as administrator to oversee the dissolution of the business.
Saddleback, which operated from a 40,000 sq ft warehouse in Yate, near Bristol, was also the UK home of Pivot, Silca, Abbey Bike Tools, Feedback Sports and others.
ENVE – a longstanding partner – parted ways with Saddleback in February, Cannondale also left Saddleback in March after only 14 months.
Saddleback had described the arrival of Cannondale as “transformative” in its accounts, with the addition of a major bike brand said to have resulted in a £10m increase in turnover.
Cannondale has also moved to a direct-to-dealer sales model in the UK.
Saddleback's failure marks the continuation of a difficult period for the UK bike industry.
Moore Large collapsed in 2023 before another major distributor, i-ride, entered administration in 2024. Retail giant WiggleCRC also collapsed in 2023 before being reincarnated by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group.
