Shimano experienced a downturn in the first quarter of 2016 - and it was announced. The Japanese company achieved a record year in 2015 and had announced a slowdown in its sales engine for 2016.

According to Shimano, many bike manufacturers stocked up on components in 2015 due to favorable exchange rates and have so far reduced their inventories to a lower standard stock level. This trend is noticeable in the US market and in China. According to Shimano, demand for sports bikes is currently declining in China and an economic downturn and weak currencies are clearly noticeable in the South American markets.

Shimano also cites other reasons for a decline in demand for bicycle components: the home market of Japan is weakening noticeably and in the USA a declining propensity to buy is coming to bear due to fluctuating energy prices.

In the first quarter of 2016, Shimano realized a decline in sales of around 20 percent compared to the same period last year to around 518 million euros. Operating profit fell by around 34 percent to 115 million euros.www.shimano.com