BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Dahon, the world leader in portable bicycles, today announced record sales for the first half of 2008, representing a 32 per cent increase in unit volume and 30 per cent increase in revenues relative to the year earlier. Both unit numbers and revenues are an all-time high for Dahon in a six-month period.
"Sales have gone very well considering the general economic environment," stated Dr. David Hon, Dahon president and CEO. "We’re seeing a lot of consumers turning to cycling as high gas prices and concerns about global warming begin to hit home. In a way, the current economic downturn is a blessing in disguise for the planet because people are getting a real taste of what will happen when we deplete the Earth’s scarce resources."
Dahon sold 239,000 folding bicycles in the first half of 2008 compared with 180,000 units during the same period in 2007.
New 2008 models featuring patented new technologies were well received by consumers. The majority of sales were to first-time folding bike buyers. Sales of folding bikes in certain markets are booming. Folding bikes now make up over 40% of new bike sales in Korea and 30 per cent in Taiwan, two markets where government investment in bicycle infrastructure is paying dividends with tremendous growth in bike sales.
