Mavic president sets out stall for brand revitalisation

Under new French ownership, Mavic has come full circle following a period where it concedes the brand was not at its best. Simon Cox speaks the marketing and product teams about the revival of a cycling icon…

Mavic is very much back, with the French brand doing what it does best: Innovating. Two years on from a highly publicised transition of ownership, the famed yellow and black cycling icon, now 100% owned by French investment group Bourrelier, is a business firmly back on an upward trajectory.

“Mavic will invest over the next three years more than in the last 15 years,” comments Jean-Michel Bourrelier, now Co-President of the brand.

Talking with Brunand Maxime, Head of Product Management, and Anne-Lise Arbez, Marketing Manager for soft goods, there’s a real sense of purpose, direction, and, most importantly, energy – an enthusiasm and excitement for the evolution and revolution which has completely reenergised the business.

Having moved to its new Annecy located, 8,000sq.m, headquarters in January 2022, the brand is keen to point out that this also forms a home for its own ‘special projects’ carbon manufacturing facility, fully integrated into the new HQ location.

This also seems a good point to discuss the drive for EU only manufacturing, across both hard and soft goods. With 97% of components currently of European origin, the business sees this robust and efficient supply chain organisation – with Mavic soon to be only manufacturing in Europe – as critical to managing quality, and availability, of components and finished products. By 2024 the entire soft goods range will be made in Europe with new launches including the Syncro SL Helmet and the Crossmax Elite SL shoe.

Bold strides meet good common sense for a brand whose heritage plays a significant role in its present-day brand identity and customer appeal. Engineered in France. Handmade in Europe.

Racing and sponsorship still play a significant role in the testing and development of products across cycling disciplines. The KMC Orbea MTB team had World Cup wins last year riding Mavic hoops. With a French Olympics on the horizon collaborations in support of French athletes have medal hopes pinned upon them. This includes a partnership with mountain bike XCO focused Decathlon Rockrider team, riding Mavic Crossmax XL R wheelsets. For UK readers there’s Le Col – Wahoo and Ribble Weldtite sponsorship deals, with both teams providing high visibility and strong fan engagement.

Specialised products and technologies are clear points of focus, harking back to early SSC days, when that red and yellow graphic, paired with a single yellow spoke, marked Mavic products as truly innovative, robust, and market leading. Expect to see more of this in the future, writing new history for a brand which is unwilling to trade solely on its famous cycling past. Innovation is at the heart of writing a new chapter of the story with new technology delivering performance and reliability.

Today’s technical innovations are ones which cyclists, mechanics and retailers will greatly appreciate, with simplicity engineered in at the design stage to ensure the best customer product experiences. Standardised spoke lengths on drive and non-drive side, paired with one hub design for road, and one for MTB, definitely helps when ordering and in the workshop.

Internal rim widths reflect the trend for lower tyre pressures, and larger volume tyres, be that with road or gravel wheelsets. The launch of an eBike specific wheelset meets new rider needs head on. Wheel assembly and hub manufacturing, also carbon rim manufacturing, now takes place in Romanian factories.

No product conversation would be complete without mention of the Cosmic Ultimate wheelset being entirely manufactured at the in-house carbon facility in Annecy.

Retailer and customer support is now significantly streamlined and upgraded. What will make everyone happy, be they rider or retailer, is the Lifetime Warranty introduced with MY21 carbon wheelsets. Also established is a strong crash replacement programme, with wheels under two years old offered at 50% off RRP. Discount for three to five-year-old wheels receives 40% off, with 30% off five to ten-year-old wheels.

The business will add more than 50 new staff, across a number of business critical departments, building internal capabilities to support and enable delivery of future growth. Mavic reports both sales and order bookings more than 10% up in 2021. To meet current requirement, and future growth targets, Mavic production capacity has grown three-fold since January 2021. It’s this which means UK retail customers will see only a seven working day lead time on product orders.

Supporting international territories, the business now has regional subsidiaries implemented (UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany-AT and Japan), including customer and after-sales services, providing support and services in line with the goals of the business. Today the business is determined to form closer relationships with its customers, applying a laser-like focus to meeting the needs of retailers and cyclists alike.

In the UK the brand has a team of six, with its office located in Newport Pagnell.

Four in office: Country Manager, Marketing Coordinator, CSR / Export Manager, and UK based Mavic Service Course support team member

Two on the road: Area Sales Managers

Full retailer support is offered via 01908102064, or by email here.