ent International sold some 2.7 million bikes at Walmart, Target and other mass-market retailers in the U.S. last year, making it one of the top bike manufacturers by units. But Kent’s third-generation CEO Arnold Kamler figures demand was so high as people wanted an alternate means of transportation and exercise during the pandemic that he could’ve sold 5 million if he could’ve produced and shipped enough to keep up with demand.
The problem is one that, in some respects, is good to have. Demand is through the roof for bikes at all price points. But bike makers can’t keep simply crank up production at existing factories to meet the need, especially with inventories at the store level already depressed. In addition, Kamler says, there are delays and difficulties getting parts from China and, even, problems in getting containers for ocean freight or finding enough long-distance truckers closer to home.
He noticed demand for bikes rising first last spring in New York as people searched for ways of avoiding public transit to get around the city. Soon demand had spread well beyond the East Coast. “All our customers were doing sales in March and April that were more than November or December sales,” he says. “But the supply from China was disappointing because of the slow recovery from Covid-19. We normally try to keep customers 95-98% in stock.
Still, Kamler figures his area of the market isn’t as tough as the higher-end segment, where parts are more expensive and tougher to get. That’s benefited Kent, he says, through its Univega brand, whose bikes go for $200 to $800. Kamler purchased the brand in 2018, and relaunched it as a made-in-America business from its South Carolina factory.
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