E-bike maker VanMoof is taken over by e-step manufacturer Lavoie from British McLaren. The curators of VanMoof report this. Lavoie plans to continue growing through the acquisition and further develop VanMoof’s business, the company said in a statement. Lavoie makes electric scooters that can be folded.
According to the trustees, the company has agreed to the purchase of, among other things, the company inventory and stock. The amount of money involved in the deal has not been disclosed. “With its next-generation e-bikes, smart technology, innovative design and loyal customer base, VanMoof and Lavoie are a perfect fit,” said Lavoie CEO Eliott Wertheimer. He expresses the ambition to keep VanMoof’s 190,000 customers worldwide ‘on the road while we stabilize the VanMoof business and grow it efficiently’.
What the acquisition means for VanMoof customers is not yet known. The final closing of the acquisition is scheduled for September 4. After that, more will be known about what the deal means for VanMoof customers, the trustees said.
A month ago, the court in Amsterdam declared e-bike company VanMoof bankrupt. The company ran into problems because large investments were needed. The debt burden at the time of the bankruptcy amounted to almost 144 million euros. One of the trustees previously feared that many creditors would not see their money again. The expectation was that a takeover could offer a solution for consumers who had already made a down payment for a bicycle, for example, and have now lost that money.
McLaren, known from Formula 1, would like to grow further with the acquisition as a premium brand in the electric vehicle sector.
Bid rejected
The American micromobility.com was also in the running for a takeover. But the company’s CEO reported last week that his offer had been rejected. Micromobility.com makes electric bicycles and scooters and is active in the United States and Europe.
Since VanMoof was founded, 190,000 bicycles of the brand have been sold worldwide. VanMoof had its own stores in twenty cities worldwide. The business units outside the Netherlands are not included in the bankruptcy.
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