German IBDs are considering legal action against Zweirad Stadler, Germany's biggest bicycle retail chain. In a test exercise, Stadler's Bremen store is not charging customers for bicycle repairs.

Bremen bikers get their repairs for free

German trade magazine SAZbike reports that the store charges for parts, but not labour.

This amounts to unfair competition, argue some German IBDs, hoping the policy doesn’t spread nationwide.

Zweirad Stadler is a member of the all-powerful ZEG dealer organisation and buying group, which represents 900 IBDs in Germany, Austria, Holland, Belgium and Switzerland.

Zweirad Stadler is owned by Helmut Stadler, chairman of the supervisory board of ZEG.

Stadler operates eight bicycle stores (three of them are larger then 10 000sq m); six of them are located in northern Bavaria, one in Berlin and one in Bremen.

The move to offer free repairs in Bremen is linked to a price war between Zweirad Stadler and another chain store group, Bike & Outdoor Company (BOC), a relatively new player on the German retail scene.

http://www.saz.de

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