International Dealer News 160 April/May 2021 IDN 160 April/May 2021 | Page 12

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Bihr acquires Race FX in UK

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Bartenheim , France based distribution group Bihr has moved to further reinforce its UK market position by acquiring British off-road specialist Race FX . Bihr and Race FX owners Samantha and Paul Irwin signed and closed an agreement that gives Bihr 100 % ownership of Race FX , one of the UK market ' s leading B2B distributors of motorcycle parts , accessories and rider gear for the off-road segment in the UK . Owned by Kontich , Belgium based Alcopa Group and headed up by CEO Christophe Piron , Bihr is one of Europe ' s fastest growing distributors and brand owners . The Race FX acquisition complements its 2019 purchase of MotoDirect , the owner of the RST apparel brand and UK Arai distributor . Piron stated that the objective of the Race FX deal was to get better access to the UK off-road distribution market and complement the position Bihr currently has in the " Street " segment in the UK through MotoDirect . In addition , Race FX will serve as the logistics platform to deploy Bihr ' s motorcycle parts and accessories distribution activity in the UK . " The fit of Race FX and Bihr together just made perfect sense ," said Paul Irwin , former owner of Race FX . " Race FX and Bihr have a number of brands in common ( Race FX in the UK and Bihr on the continent ), and this transaction will allow us to get full access to both the off-road and road distribution channels in the UK ."
Christophe Piron , CEO of Bihr , said : " Welcoming Race FX into the Bihr group is a real opportunity for us to truly accelerate our deployment in the UK . Beyond the 34 brands currently distributed by Race FX and MotoDirect in the UK , the brand and product team of Bihr has worked very hard last year to secure the distribution of 150 additional brands in the UK ." Terry Birtles , Bihr ' s UK Country Manager , said : " The expertise that Race FX has in off-road rider gear and parts and accessories distribution is critical for us . In the coming weeks , we will leverage the Blackburn warehouse to progressively introduce the newly distributed products in UK ." In terms of organisation , Paul Irwin has been appointed Off- Road Business Development Manager UK for Bihr , reporting to Terry Birtles . Bihr UK will operate under two commercial names - Race FX powered by Bihr and MotoDirect powered by Bihr .
Founded in 1975 by Cyrille Bihr , the company now employs some 650 people , including 74 in-house sales representatives and 35 customer service representatives . Present in over 14 countries , the Bihr portfolio includes about 230 brands and 200,000 items , distributed to a network of 11,550 dealers from five warehouses , totalling more than 44,350 m2 . The company says it can supply almost all dealers in Europe within 24 hours . Paul and Samantha Irwin established Race FX in 2003 . The company has a almost 2,800 sq m distribution centre in the north of England and has a handpicked specialist portfolio of 28 brands - most of which are exclusive to Race FX in the UK . www . bihr . eu
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