Polish company 7Anna, which owns Rondo, Creme Cycles, NS Bikes and Octane One, has officially filed for bankruptcy.
In a statement released on behalf of 7Anna, the brand's founder Szymon Kobyliński explained the last two to three years have been “incredibly difficult”.
“[T]he entire team has put in a superhuman effort to fight and navigate such a brutal environment. The problems began a year and a half ago when our largest client, who sold our bikes in Western Europe, went bankrupt. This left a huge hole, but we kept going. The following season, we had problems with our bank, which withheld funding from partners for several months. As a result, our bikes were not released until after the season,” wrote Kobyliński.
This was followed by the bankruptcy of one of 7Anna’s largest suppliers, which meant it was left without “top-of-the-line bikes”. Then, Kobyliński says, hackers stole “a huge sum by redirecting a transfer from our client to a fake account in Portugal”.
“Literally two weeks later, our largest client received a large shipment of bikes but didn't pay for it and simultaneously cancelled the contract for subsequent deliveries. All of this coincided with the deadline for repaying our bank loan. We couldn't take so many blows at once and needed help and time to reorganize,” Kobyliński added.
Founded in 2001 by Kobyliński and his wife Anna, 7Anna created several brands. NS Bikes launched in 2004, followed by Octane One in 2008 and Creme Cycles in 2017.
7Anna launched Rondo in 2017, which has become known for its unusual road and gravel bike designs, such as the Rondo Ruut.
Rondo’s marketing manager, Aneta Romanik, wrote on LinkedIn: “The past few years have been an enormous challenge for 7ANNA Group Sp. z o.o. and our team, but we're still fighting for the future of our brands – Rondo, NS Bikes, and Creme.
“Filing for bankruptcy is a formal step – it does not mean the end of our operations, but rather gives us space for reorganization and talks with investors.”
Kobyliński’s statement also echoed Romanik: “We're not giving up. We're still operating, servicing our bikes, supporting you, our customers, and paying attention to every detail. For now, nothing changes – stores, service, and warranties are operating as usual. We're not disappearing – we're continuing the history of brands that have often inspired the industry. Every bike that left our company carried with it passion and uniqueness.
“This is certainly not a bed of roses – we know that many of our trading partners are feeling anxious, but we assure you that we are doing everything in our power to ensure that our brands survive and continue to inspire. We believe that the capital we have built – as one of the few Polish brands recognized globally in its segment – will be appreciated.”
7Anna is not the only cycling company to endure extreme financial difficulty in recent years, with many brands facing similar turmoil.
In October 2023, Wiggle and Chain Reaction were put into administration. In 2024, Orange called in administrators, while GT has reduced the size of its workforce.
This year, Brompton’s profits crashed and YT Industries entered self-administration, citing “a brutal discount war for survival”.
