Significant slump in sales of children's and youth bikes
The sales of children and youth bicycles have significantly declined in the past few years. According to an analysis of the bicycle market conducted by the consulting firm EY, sales in this category decreased by eight percent in the previous year, and by as much as 37 percent since 2019. The share of children and youth bicycles in the overall market shrank by more than half, falling to just three percent in comparison to 2019.
The birth rate cannot be used as an explanation for this, rather it could be due to the general trend of children in Germany spending less time on physical activities, which the bicycle industry is now noticing, explained EY expert Stefan Mohr. "Children and adolescents in Germany spend too little time on physical activities - the bicycle industry is now feeling this."
Overall, bicycle sales in Germany were down in the previous year, as shown in the market analysis. E-bike sales fell by five percent to 2.1 million units, while the average sales price also rose by five percent to €2,950. The driving force behind this development were the excessively expensive e-cargo bikes, whose sales have nearly quadrupled since 2019.
The decline was even greater for mechanical bicycles: 1.9 million such bicycles were sold in the previous year, a decrease of 21 percent compared to the previous year. Prices dropped by an average of five percent to €470.
The market is currently consolidating, according to EY experts, who also referred to a fluctuating demand and supply issues due to the start of the pandemic. As a result, competition is increasing and pressure on prices is rising. "Not all suppliers will survive the current selection process," they said.
In these challenging times for the bicycle market, the decline in sales of Children's and Youth bikes has been particularly noticeable. Over the past few years, the number of Youth bikes sold under the category of Children's bicycles has dropped substantially.
