Brompton has secured £18 million in new investment from Decathlon and BA Capital, with the French sports retailer purchasing a 10% stake and the Chinese investment group taking a 5% stake. The injection of capital comes as Brompton's chief executive, Will Butler-Adams, suggests that the UK cycling market is showing signs of recovery after a period of depressed sales.
With the company's bike sales decreasing by 7.5% to 78,530 units in the year to March 2025, this significant investment provides a much-needed boost for Brompton's future prospects. The new partnerships are expected to bring valuable market knowledge, enhance supply chain efficiency and introduce new technology expertise, as well as provide insights from Decathlon's Pulse investment arm.
Decathlon's involvement is expected to offer crucial learning opportunities, having previously invested in other cycling and sports technology brands. BA Capital, with its interests in bicycle brand Tenways and Pop Mart, is anticipated to provide crucial expertise regarding the Chinese market, which has become Brompton's largest.
The partnership will also see Brompton bikes featured in dedicated 'Brompton corners' within a select number of Decathlon stores, aiming to broaden the reach of Brompton's products to a wider audience despite ongoing cost of living pressures that have impacted new bike sales across Europe. However, it is worth noting that prices for Brompton bikes range from £999 to nearly £6,000 for top-tier e-bikes.
Butler-Adams also used the opportunity to comment on the broader economic landscape for entrepreneurs in the UK, suggesting that the country is not doing enough to support those who make substantial personal commitments to growing businesses. He advocated for an environment that fosters ambition, job creation and wealth generation, and called for stricter controls on illegal e-bikes, which he believes are hindering the legitimate e-bike market in the UK due to safety concerns and manufacturing standards.
Brompton had previously faced challenges, including a reduction in staff numbers by about 50 to 790 people, attributed partly to increases in employers' national insurance contributions and other tax changes. The company's total value of sales fell by 1% in the year to March 2025.