Arrow: Now more than ever!

Ride was way off the mark: The recently published issue speculated that the acquisition of the Villiger bike division by TREK USA could mean the end for the Arrow bike brand. Tom Brown, Managing Director of Trek-Villiger Switzerland, makes it clear in an interview that the opposite is the case: Arrow should also have a secure future as a Swiss bike brand under the TREK umbrella. Work on the 2004 Arrow range is already as good as complete.

On the first day of 2-Rad, Ride conducted the following interview with Tom Brown, Managing Director of Trek-Villiger Switzerland.

We were obviously wrong to speculate about the uncertain future of the Arrow brand.
Absolutely, because the Arrow brand plays an important role in Trek's future plans for the following reasons: Firstly, the Arrow brand is deservedly strong and established in Switzerland and southern Germany. Secondly, Arrow has a strong dealer network and there is relatively little overlap with the existing TREK dealer network. And thirdly, the Arrow range includes many innovative products that we want to develop further.

Where does Trek want to grow with the Villiger and Arrow brands?
On the one hand, the two brands Villiger and Arrow are still insufficiently represented in French-speaking Switzerland: While TREK Switzerland generates 25 percent of its annual sales in French-speaking Switzerland, this figure is only 5 percent for Villiger and Arrow. So there is still a lot of untapped potential that we want to exploit. On the other hand, the southern German market is very similar to the Swiss market in terms of requirements, so we want to grow there too.

And how does TREK position the Arrow brand relative to the three bike brands Trek, Klein and Gary Fisher?
The three US brands Trek, Klein and Gary Fisher are clearly global brands. Arrow, on the other hand, will remain THE Swiss bike brand in the entire German-speaking region: With Swiss design and product management, flanked by a powerful local team that marks its presence on the race tracks. We want to offer a full range from school bikes to high-end race bikes.

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Further content on this article

Arrow is integrated into the Villiger range

According to a report in "bike" magazine, Villiger's "Arrow" bike brand is to be integrated into the Villiger line and is therefore likely to disappear from the market as an independent brand. Villiger was one of the first bike manufacturers in Europe with mountain bikes in its product range, so the prospect of a crab walk can also be seen as a step back to the roots.

02.06.2006

The Villiger brand is being discontinued!

The Trek Bicycle Corporation announces it as an expansion of the Diamant brand, which belongs to the group, into the Swiss market. As a result of this decision, distribution of the Villiger brand will be discontinued.

11.07.2014

Trek cuts jobs after Villiger deal

Following the takeover of Villiger-Werke by Trek, the question of jobs was up in the air for a long time. Now it is clear: with Villiger's move to Trek's premises in Dübendorf, 15 employees at the Villiger plant will not be given new jobs. This affects fitters in particular. However, 15 other Villiger employees have received new employment contracts.

30.11.1999

Is TREK now also buying Villiger?

Velopages reported on October 26 that Villiger's two-wheeler division was about to be sold to TREK. It has been known for some time that patron Heinrich Villiger wants to sell this division. TREK has previously made a name for itself in terms of takeovers, particularly with the purchase of KLEIN, FISHER and BONTRAGER.

27.10.2002

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Autor: Ride MTB

News published on 20.02.2003