Market: The Zweirad-Einkaufs-Genossenschaft, or ZEG, has been an integral part of the German and now international bicycle cosmos for many years. This year, the industry giant is celebrating its 50th birthday - with special offers and anniversary models.
50 years of ZEG - there is enough reason to celebrate this anniversary at the Cologne-based two-wheeler purchasing cooperative, because there is no end in sight to the success story. The starting gun was fired in 1966 with eight founding members and the declared goal of ensuring that two-wheeler dealers were better able to survive. Only ten years later there were already over 100 members and the annual turnover rose into the millions - in 1980 the 100 million mark was broken for the first time. The recipe for success was clever investments such as our own warehouse, wheel tensioning shop and, above all, a separate siding. Another sound barrier fell on the 50th birthday: In 2016, total sales exceeded one billion euros for the first time.
The ZEG has already come a long but very successful way. Last but not least, the two own brands Pegasus (1984) and Bulls (1995) were also decisive for the positive development. Thanks to the international mountain bike team Bulls, the brand became well-known far beyond the borders of Germany: Just a few weeks ago, Karl Platt's team won the for the fifth time Overall win at the Cape Epic in South Africa.
However, the CEO, Georg Honkomp, emphasizes that the company is not resting on its laurels, but is looking to the future with clear goals: "Connected Production with the digitization of trade. Another necessary topic is the further training of the trade. The ZEG dealer of tomorrow is increasingly becoming a service provider. A colorful bouquet of additional services is the key to success. I'm thinking of concepts like bike leasing or the rental portal travel bike. And there will be a lot more from ZEG in the future, I'm quite sure of that." Despite all the success, ZEG does not forget its own roots and always has its sights firmly set on the domestic market. In the past year took over the bicycle division by Kettler after the parent company went bankruptto keep the traditional German brand and its jobs alive.
So that customers can also benefit from the success of ZEG, this year the company is celebrating with strong price reductions and last but not least with the Pegasus Opero anniversary bike. The all-round bike offers an almost unbeatable price-performance ratio and scored top marks in tests.