German bicycle cooperative ZEG has announced plans for significant layoffs and the relocation of production at Flyer, a Swiss e-bike manufacturer it acquired in 2017.
According to company statements, the Huttwil site in Switzerland’s Bern canton will remain operational, but production will be moved overseas. Reports from Swiss Radio and Television indicate that the job cuts will affect a “large proportion” of Flyer’s 170 employees, with an insider suggesting up to 155 positions may be eliminated.
The restructuring marks ZEG’s latest effort to address challenges in a sluggish e-bike market. When it first acquired Flyer, ZEG aimed to leverage its vast dealer network—totaling over 1,000 outlets across Europe—to bolster Flyer’s premium e-bike offerings.
However, despite years of growth and pandemic-era sales surges, e-bike demand has waned since 2023. ZEG attributes this to a “difficult market situation in the bicycle industry” and has called the restructuring “an unavoidable business step.”
This move follows a previous round of layoffs in October 2023, which saw Flyer reduce its workforce by around 80 employees in response to market pressures. Flyer is among several e-bike companies facing difficulties: Dutch brand VanMoof filed for insolvency in July 2023, later acquired by British e-bike maker Lavoie. In 2024, brands Vässla and Onomotion also encountered insolvency, highlighting broader challenges across the industry.
