International Dealer News IDN 150 August/September 2019

COMMENT: Second Quarter ACEM data points to market softening .............. Page 4 Italian new motorcycle registrations +8.7% to July ........................................................................................................................ Page 8 FEMA - no plan for compulsory speed limiters ................................................................................................................................. Page 16 TecMate four-bank chargers - keeping batteries fresh and ready ................................................................................ Page 17 Bihr Distribution establishes German subsidiary with exclusive Arai, Bell Helmets, Answer and RST apparel contracts; expands into other markets artenheim, France based distributor Bihr Distribution has announced an expansion of its distribution activities into new markets and extensions, some of them exclusive, to major distribution partnerships. The headline news is of exclusive deals to sell Arai helmets, Bell helmets and the British owned and designed RST riding apparel line in Germany and the establishment of a new German subsidiary (Bihr GmbH) to provide customer service to German dealers, with logistics being handled out of the company's international distribution centre in north east France, near the Swiss and German borders. The deal with Arai starts in September 2019 and is an exclusive one for Germany. It is an extension of Bihr's existing relationship with the famous Japanese helmet brand - a relationship that sees Bihr already handling Arai dealer sales in France and Belgium. Michio Arai, grandson of founder B Hirotake Arai and current CEO of Arai Helmets Ltd., said: "We are very pleased to have found an agreement with Bihr to distribute our helmets in Germany. The Bihr team has clearly Bihr CEO Christophe Piron demonstrated their ability to distribute our products in France and Belgium, and we are more than happy to expand our collaboration to Germany." For Bihr, CEO Christophe Piron, who NEws ROOM 6-21, 48 took over at Bihr in March this year, said: "We are very honoured to have the opportunity to distribute Arai products in Germany. Arai has a fantastic range of products with a safety reputation second to none. Our partnership with Arai in France and Belgium has been extremely successful and we are thrilled to expand it into Germany." The Arai story is the stuff of legends, with Hirotake Arai starting out as a hatmaker in 1926 and then starting to make motorcycle safety helmets in 1950. Bell helmets are an equally storied brand, having been started by Roy Richter in the garage of a southern Californian Speed Shop in 1954. Bihr's deal with Bell sees them becoming the exclusive distributor for Germany and Austria and takes the number of European markets in which Bihr represents Bell to 12, including France and Spain. Christophe Piron commented: "We are very excited about starting the Continues on page 10 >>> TRADEZONE 45 AUG/SEPT ’19 ISSUE #150 STATZONE 6-8 ➠ MOOSE RACING FOR 2020 10TH ANNIVERSARY ROCKET 3 WITH AVON TYRES INDEX 46