28 January 2008

AMSTERDAM – The Netherlands continues to be a country of cycling aficionados. Last year more than 1.35 new bicycles were purchased, about 2 percent more than in 2006.

The RAI Association has announced this on the basis of sales figures from the first three quarters of 2007 and an estimate of sales in the last quarter.

The figures were announced on the occasion of the trade fair FietsVak 2008, which is taking place until Tuesday in the Autotron in Rosmalen.

The Dutch are more willing to spend more on a new cycle, the RAI Association says. Last year the average purchase price for a new bicycle rose to EUR 602, compared to EUR 550 in 2006.

Bicycle specialists received on average EUR 702 per cycle from the customer. This is considerably more than the average price for a cycle at a non-specialised store, like a DIY store, which was just EUR 300.

Last year saw record sales of electric bikes, which offer motorised pedal assistance. The 100,000-mark was exceeded for sales of these bikes. That is more than double compared to a year earlier.

The RAI Association expects that sales for 2008 will be a fraction higher than in 2007. The Netherlands has about 18 million bicycles currently being used regularly. This figure does not include bicycles in storage.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2008]

Subject: Dutch news