Accell strengthens position in bike rental market

Accell Group has signed a contract with a Dutch hotel chain for the delivery of 1,300 Sparta e-bikes via B2B partner Zilt bikes. Fletcher Hotels will use the e-bikes, painted in its company colours, to expand its rental portfolio.

The contract is fully in line with Accell’s strategy to focus on the expansion of its market position in the business market for bike rentals, in an effort to support the stimulation of sustainable mobility.

Sten van der Ham, Director of Accell Benelux, said: “This co-operative effort is a seamless fit with the trend away from ownership bikes to the flexible use of bikes. We are proud to co-operate with a renowned brand like Fletcher Hotels.”

Fletcher Hotels chose Sparta’s M7B, the sister e-bike of the M8B which recently won the title ‘Electric Bike of the Year 2019’. According to the hotel chain, all its 99 hotels are within walking and cycling distance of various activities, sights and a network of hiking and cycling routes, which calls for a reliable e-bike with sufficient action radius for long distances and hilly landscapes.

Fletcher was also impressed by the e-bike’s high-end look and feel, powerful mid-mounted motor and safe lighting.

Edwin van Heteren, CFO of Fletcher Hotels, said: “More and more Dutch people are taking their holidays in the Netherlands and are going on bike rides during their trips. In the period between April through September, tourists are taking more than a million cycling holidays. So we are very pleased that our hotels will be able to offer Sparta’s new e-bikes. We are looking forward to our co-operation.”

Accell, parent of Raleigh and Koga, saw turnover and profit growth in 2018 and has sketched out plans for a ‘three-pillar omni-channel strategy’ to roll out in 2019. The omni-channel strategy will include e-commerce platforms and experience centres, with the first single brand platforms going live this year.