BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
According to a Moore Large press release, the Derby-based company is to double the amount of British built bikes it will be able to sell by being the only UK customer of A&J Enterprise (Taiwan), its main Far Eastern supplier in Taiwan, which is to set up a UK assembly plant.
Such a move is not unexpected because dumping duties imposed on bikes of Far Eastern origin make it more economic for overseas companies to assemble in the European Union, bypassing punitive, protectionist duties.
Of course, Giant has been successfully operating this model for many years and the news from Moore Large will be the first of many similar stories.
At their Derby factory in 1999, Moore Large assembled 50 000 dual suspension bikes.
The tremendous success of Barracuda has caused us to look at expanding the assembly of cycles, but space restrictions and low unemployment in our area makes this difficult, said John Moore.
As well as their own production, Moore Large will be supplied by A&J Europe Bicycle Manufacturing Ltd, a UK registered company which is a wholly owned subsidiary of A&J Enterprise (Taiwan).
The MD of the new assembly operation will be Jon Edwards, currently Sales Director for Moore Large. He starts on 1st March. A factory site has yet to be chosen although an announcement is expected within the next 10 days.
A&J Europe Bicycle Manufacturing Ltd will supply Moore Large with their assembled bikes in 2000 and Edwards will be seeking one Moore Large type company in most EU countries by 2001.
Gary Mather, made a full Moore Large board member in November last year, and currently in charge off mail order sales, becomes the new Moore Large Sales Director.
