Shimano and SRAM feel the pinch from declining sales
In the last few days, both component behemoths have reported declining year-on-year sales
Both Shimano and SRAM have recently reported the effects of reduced component sales, with Shimano announcing its first quarterly revenue decline year-on-year since 2009.
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In its Summary of Financial Results published on 26 April, net sales in Shimano’s bicycle division were shown to be down from 81 billion yen (£500m) to 65 billion yen (£400m) and the company’s overall operating income including its fishing and other divisions was down by over 30% in contrast to 63% growth in the same period last year.
Shimano suggested in its statement that an uncertain economic outlook and declining consumer confidence in Europe, the US and Japan were major contributors and that these had led to high component inventory levels at OEMs. Although the company stated that inventory of complete bicycles in Europe remained appropriate, there were higher inventories in Japan, China and North America, resulting in a 20% global decrease in Shimano’s bicycle component sales.
And soft sales at SRAM too
Meanwhile, according to Bicycle Retailer, SRAM - which also owns the Quarq and Zipp brands amongst others - has announced that soft sales over the last 12 months have led it to lay off around 40 people from its worldwide workforce of 3500, although SRAM says that this will not impact manufacturing or product development. In the first quarter its sales were down around 10% year-on-year and SRAM’s president Stan Day says that the previous quarters had also shown soft sales.
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Day did say that although total volume of sales to OEM manufacturers was down, there was an increase in spec of products sold, with eTap doing well. Day also mentioned SRAM’s Zipp brand as a highlight.
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Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.
He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.
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