September 16, 201312 yr Press Release 16th August 2013 Wisper and Freego Electric bikes to join forces. On Friday it was announced that Wisper and Freego Electric bikes are to join forces in a new venture to be named the Freego Wisper Group or FWG. Freego and Wisper are arguably the two most recognised electric bike brands in the UK and between them have been at the forefront of the electric bike revolution for nearly nine years. Wisper’s David Miall and Freego’s John Heath will be working together as Joint Managing Directors under the Chairmanship of Eric Lane, to expand their already extensive dealership network. They will be continuing to sell exclusively through stockists in the UK and Ireland. Freego’s very popular demo bike leasing scheme and the recent 0% finance deals to the end user will be expanded to include all the bikes in FWG’s range. Douglas Lawson has decided to pursue other interests and we all wish Douglas the very best for the future. FWG’s impressive brand line up will now consist of Freego, Wisper, Grace, Riese and Muller, Blue Label and the iconic Birdy folding bike, currently the only non electric bike in their collection. There is talk however of a new range of non-electric or “Vanilla” bicycles being added to their portfolio in 2014. Chairman Eric Lane says, “It was an obvious move to join the two most well known and successful electric bike businesses in the UK. John and David’s skill sets are perfectly matched to make the Freego Wisper Group a force to be reckoned with. As well as our work in the UK and Ireland we will be continuing to expand our export distributorship throughout the world.” END David Miall Manging Director Freego Wisper Group [ATTACH]6807.vB[/ATTACH]
September 16, 201312 yr I do wish the new group all the best. But can't help having a kind of deja vu feeling. The UK market is quite small, the number of models and vendors numerous so some kind of consolidation makes sense. However, most of the European bikes are distributed by just two or three other megalithic companies, this situation has already given these bikes a kind of more of the same. Can someone tell me if the new merger will benefit past, present and future consumers?
September 16, 201312 yr Author Thanks Trex, it is a very exciting time. The market seems at last to be expanding rapidly, and more and more good solid dealers are getting into the market. By merging the two businesses we will be able to offer a comprehensive range of more than 20 models to our now expanded dealer network of more than 150 in the UK, this will help those trying to find a local dealer. Our range now starts at £999 and progresses to more than £4,000. Wisper in the past has not been able to offer dealers credit facilities, this has now changed and all bikes will be available on account. We will also be expanding Freego's interest free credit facility to the end user over the complete range. I feel this was a good move for both businesses, time will tell! All the best David
September 16, 201312 yr well lets just say good luck and i hope you make the freego more like the wispers, rather than the other way around
September 16, 201312 yr Author Thanks ghouluk! Actually I have been very pleasantly surprised at the way the Freego bikes sell and perform, and they seem to be 99% reliable. Maybe not the most attractive bikes in the world (yet) but they are very good mechanically, and sell like hot cakes! All the best David
September 16, 201312 yr well David, I kind of thought recently what other old mates are going to come up with this year but your merger with Freego it's the last think I would ever think of. Congratulations and all the best on the new path in business. see ya next week at the NEC all the best Andrew
September 17, 201312 yr well lets just say good luck and i hope you make the freego more like the wispers, rather than the other way around Couldn't disagree more. The final two bikes I tried were Wisper and Freego, back to back on the same bit of road. I bought the Freego, and have been very glad I did. 2600 miles and it still gets me home from the pub without fail!!
September 17, 201312 yr Author Thanks Andrew, Strangely I entered the first meeting, really only going through the motions, however as we talked over the months it became obvious the fit was perfect. Looking forward to seeing you at the NEC. All the best David
September 17, 201312 yr Author Couldn't disagree more. The final two bikes I tried were Wisper and Freego, back to back on the same bit of road. I bought the Freego, and have been very glad I did. 2600 miles and it still gets me home from the pub without fail!! Hi Eaglerider, I am delighted you ended up choosing between those particular bikes, I think this shows how good the fit actually is! All the best David
September 17, 201312 yr Hi David, In fact it was a very close run comparison. The Eagle got 5 metres further up the hill on the test day. However, in fairness, the Wisper battery guage was only showing 2 lights static whereas the Freego had all four lights on! So it was probably just down to the state of charge of the battery. Both great bikes though, and a sound basis for getting together. Will the bikes retain their separate identities, or will they all be called "Weego"!!!:o May I wish you the best of luck in your joint venture, ebikes are so much fun they have to catch on soon.
September 17, 201312 yr Author Hi Eaglerider and thanks for your very kind comments! The bikes will retain their individual brand identities, although there are a lot of changes planned for next year, which by 2015, will make the bikes completely different to one another. As a group have had a cracking year regarding sales, I have no doubt we have reached the tipping point at last. All the best David
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