Bike Republic responds to growth of cargo bikes in Brussels
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Bike Republic, Colruyt Group's bicycle specialist, is giving sustainable mobility a boost in Brussels with the opening of a new store in Schaarbeek. This is the first store to focus exclusively on the sale of cargo bikes, longtails and specific cargo bikes for companies, enterprises and individuals. At the same time, Bike Republic Schaarbeek will be an additional base of operations for the B2B team operating from Zwijnaarde. The Bike Republic experts will gladly draw up customised bicycle schemes for business managers and HR managers. A workshop is attached to the store, where previously purchased cargo bikes can be repaired.
The new Bike Republic store's assortment in Schaarbeek consists exclusively of electric cargo bikes. They include 'standard' cargo bikes and longtails, but also very specific cargo solutions that can be particularly interesting to professionals. This is Bike Republic's first and only store in Belgium to focus exclusively on this segment. Major brands such as Urban Arrow, O2Feel, Riese & Müller and Kettler, but also niche brands such as CityQ, Lovens and Bilmo are on show and available for testing in the Schaarbeek showroom. Wim Teerlynck, general manager of Bike Republic: “Last summer, we opened our first store in the Brussels Capital Region with the acquisition of IMP Bike in Evere. It's important for us to expand our operations in French-speaking Belgium in the future. We primarily see opportunities in cities, where last-mile deliveries by cargo bike are on the rise and cycling is becoming more popular anyway. Self-employed entrepreneurs are also discovering the advantages of cargo bikes as an interesting means of transport for doorstep deliveries. This is why our latest store in Schaarbeek will focus even more on the B2B narrative and electric cargo bikes as a sustainable alternative. We have in-house expertise and are close to potential new customers in Brussels."
Business owners and HR managers in Brussels can visit Bike Republic Schaarbeek to talk to B2B experts to draw up a bicycle scheme tailored to meet the specific needs of their business. To support and provide a comprehensive service to directors or HR managers, Bike Republic's B2B department puts together a customised bicycle scheme. This allows employers to boost their employees' sustainability in terms of mobility and above all make it more efficient. And in these times of fluctuating prices, this is not unimportant. Individuals are also more than welcome in Schaarbeek if they're interested in buying a cargo bike or longtail. The store also has a bicycle repair workshop. The workshop in Schaarbeek will be manned chiefly by people from Bike Republic Evere, whose technicians are already used to working with all kinds of cargo bikes.
Cargo bikes are also gaining ground thanks to Brussels' improved bicycle infrastructure
Brussels is perhaps the most rapidly changing city in terms of mobility in Belgium. To get from A to B in the saturated city of Brussels quickly, a car is not the best way to do this and a bicycle is considerably more efficient. For individuals, but also for companies, self-employed persons and businesses in and around the city. The last few years, a lot has happened in terms of cycling infrastructure in Brussels, making it gradually safer and more pleasant to cycle. Current figures effectively show that people in Brussels are using bicycles more and more: in excess of 10 million cyclists have been counted at the registration points, i.e. over half a million more than in 2022 and the current year is not over yet.
Towards the end of September the Cairgo Bike project of the Brussels Capital Region also ended. It was launched three years ago to convince families and companies that cargo bikes are a credible alternative to cars and vans. The project proved to be successful: people in Brussels are clearly open to more cargo bike use, with 73% convinced participants. Bike Republic aims to boost its support to companies and individuals in the transition to emission-free transport and as ‘compagnon de route’ be a catalyst in this sustainability narrative. Bike Republic Schaarbeek's partnerships with a number
of local start-ups should also be seen in this light. For instance, Bike Republic will carry products of Bilmo, a Brussels producer of specific bike trailers https://www.bilmo.be/ and Hooba, a handy platform to manage bike fleets in office buildings (https://hooba.eu/en/).