Velo-ce has bought the iconic titanium bicycle manufacturer Van Nicholas from Accell Group, which faces its own financial pressures.
Italian company Velo-ce is a bicycle manufacturer based near Milan, where it has a “state of the art” production facility and has produced its Veloe family ebikes since 2020.
Velo-ce will now take full responsibility for the production and distribution of Van Nicholas bicycles.
“This move marks a significant milestone in Velo-ce’s strategic expansion into the premium adventure and travel bicycle segment,” the company says in a press release published today.
Accell Group is the largest producer of electric bikes in Europe, and its brands include Lapierre, Raleigh and Haibike. But the company has faced financial pressure in recent years, and reported a 22 per cent decline in its annual revenue for 2024.
Last week, the credit rating provider Fitch Ratings reaffirmed Accell Group’s long-term credit rating at ‘CCC’, which indicates a “real possibility of default” and a substantial credit risk due to ongoing operational challenges, according to Bike Europe.
The sale confirms expected asset sales and rumoured changes at Van Nicholas, after the brand’s general manager Ralph Moorman announced he was leaving Accell Group Europe.
The divestment from Van Nicholas enables Accell Group to “further sharpen its strategic focus” as part of its ongoing transformation plans, which have seen it close production facilities and cut jobs.
“Van Nicholas is a niche brand with a strong reputation for handcrafted titanium bicycles. With limited potential to scale, the added value of the brand within Accell’s broader portfolio strategy was limited, and Accell is pleased to have found a good new owner of the business,” Accell Group says in a statement.
Van Nicholas started producing titanium frames in 1999 before Jan-Willem Sintnicolaas officially founded the brand and company in 2006. Accell Group bought the Dutch company five years later.
“We are proud to carry forward Van Nicholas’s legacy. Cyclists will experience the best of both worlds, titanium resilience and Italian manufacturing,” says Stefan Moruzzi, Velo-ce’s CEO.
Anton Nijhuis, business developer at Velo-ce, says: “Bringing Van Nicholas into the Velo-ce family reflects shared values: building premium bicycles in a low-emission, cost-efficient European facility.
“For sales, product, order status or custom configurations, we are ready to support dealers and consumers around the globe. Velo-ce has vast experience in made to order and customized bicycle configurations.”
Current Van Nicholas stock is being transferred to Italy and preparations have been made to produce its range of titanium road bikes, touring and adventure bikes at Velo-ce’s facilities.
