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The British folding bicycle maker Brompton has sold a significant stake to the French sporting goods retailer Decathlon and a Chinese venture capital firm, in a deal designed to bankroll the brand’s expansion in France and China, now its single largest market.
The transaction, reported to be worth £18 million, hands Decathlon a 10 per cent holding and gives BA Capital a 5 per cent stake. The Shanghai-based investor is best known for backing Labubu maker Pop Mart and Laopu Gold, the luxury jewellery brand nicknamed the “Hermès of gold” in China.
Founded in London in 1975, Brompton is famous for its three-part folding bicycles, which are hand-built at its main factory in west London and exported worldwide to China, America and Europe. Founder Andrew Ritchie remains the largest shareholder, while the company’s long-serving chief executive, Will Butler-Adams, also holds a stake.
Butler-Adams, who took the top job in 2008, said the fresh capital would allow staff and long-term investors to realise cash from the sale of shares, while bringing in market and technology expertise from the new backers. The partnership is expected to accelerate growth in China, which has emerged as the company’s biggest market in recent years as the firm pulled back from a more cautious United States.
The deal follows a bruising spell for the wider cycling industry, which has wrestled with sharply falling demand since the pandemic boom faded, forcing many manufacturers into deep price cuts. Brompton has not been immune. Last year the company reported pre-tax profits of just £130,500, up from a meagre £4,602 the year before but still a fraction of its former earnings.
Even so, the manufacturer is still expected to produce more than 100,000 bikes a year, with prices for its top-end models reaching almost £6,000. More than 1.2 million Bromptons have rolled off the production line since the first was built more than half a century ago.
“For over fifty years, Brompton has unlocked urban freedom and happiness for riders across the globe. While we’re proud of the impact we’ve made, our journey is only just beginning,” Butler-Adams said. “Together with Decathlon, another family business built over half a century, we’re ready to achieve even more.”
The investment from Decathlon, made through its investment and innovation arm Decathlon Pulse, will see the signature folding bikes sold in “Brompton corners” across a handful of the retailer’s French stores. According to Brompton’s own announcement, it will also help the company push further into the fast-growing electric bike market.
The move marks the firm’s second equity event in recent years, following its first capital raise in 35 years backed by BGF, and underlines a renewed appetite for ambition after a difficult few years. The timing chimes with a recovering market: analysts at Mordor Intelligence value the UK e-bike sector at around 554 million dollars in 2026, with steady annual growth forecast through the rest of the decade.
“Brompton embodies a unique combination of performance, durability and community engagement that perfectly complements our approach,” said Franck Vigo, chief executive of Decathlon Pulse. “This partnership is about scaling that model while preserving what makes Brompton truly unique.”
