The Accell Group is becoming rather aggressive in their expansion into the bicycle accessories market with the acquisition of a third distributor, the F. van Buuren & Co. B.V. This acquisition gives Accell two Dutch parts distributors with Junker, and F. Van Buuren, along with a German distributor, BikeParts.
F. van Buuren mainly supplies specialty bicycle stores and wholesalers throughout the Benelux countries and has an “extensive dealer network.” The company employs 17 people. In 2003, turnover stood at approximately 5.0 million ($4.4 million). There was no mention of management or personnel changes.
René Takens, Chairman of the Board of Accell Group said, “ The takeover of F. van Buuren & Co. is a nice step forward in the expansion of our trade business in bicycle parts. We see benefits of this acquisition in fields such as logistics, portfolio management and purchasing.”
F. van Buuren & Co. is the exclusive distributor in The Netherlands for Cateye, SR/Suntour, Wippermann, Hutchinson, Magnum and Tioga. The company said that this acquisition fits its strategy, which is “directed towards expansion of trading activities in bicycle parts and accessories in Europe, particularly in The Netherlands and Germany.”
