The Amsterdam start-up wanted to make the ideal bikes for metropolises. Classy, fast and safe from theft. But now the manufacturer is insolvent. What does that mean for customers?
The Dutch e-bike manufacturer VanMoof has gone bankrupt. As the company announced on its website on Tuesday, the Amsterdam court responsible has declared VanMoof Global Holding BV, VanMoof BV and VanMoof Global Support BV insolvent. The foreign branches, including those in Germany, are therefore not affected by the insolvency proceedings.
The brothers Taco and Ties Carlier founded the company in 2009 and wanted to equip major cities around the world with the “ideal city bike”. The minimalist VanMoof bikes had won international awards for their design. Technical innovations were also initially highly praised. VanMoof promised the bikes were almost impossible to steal with a digital lock, built-in alarm and GPS.
But in the end, technical defects, long delivery times and waiting times for repairs meant the end for the Amsterdam company. The main problem was that VanMoof wanted to keep everything in-house – including the production of spare parts and repairs.
In the end, a loss of 80 million euros
Dutch customers in particular are now worried. Many fear that they will not receive bikes that have already been paid for or that they will not get bikes back from repairs. Dozens of customers have already reported bicycle theft. It is unclear whether the company’s bankruptcy will also have consequences for customers abroad. This involves, for example, the delivery of spare parts and new wheels.
The Amsterdam start-up was highly praised in the early years. And it benefited from the electric bike boom. VanMoof quickly spread abroad. But there were no financial successes. In 2021, the company posted a loss of around 80 million euros.
The founders Taco and Ties Carlier regretted the end of the company, as they wrote in an email to their approximately 800 employees, quoted by the media: “We are sad, but above all we feel proud of what we have achieved.” The brothers wanted to sell a billion bikes, in the end it was almost 200,000.
Source: Stern
