How Belgian Cycling Factory uses marketing to accelerate its RRC Model
Comments Off on How Belgian Cycling Factory uses marketing to accelerate its RRC ModelSource: Nieuwfiets
The LEVA-EU member’s marketing manager Laurien Celis has explained how Belgian Cycling Factory (BCF) is placing marketing at the center of its growth strategy as it rolls out its Rider-Retailer-Centric (RRC) business model. By choosing bicycle dealers as its exclusive sales channel and investing in targeted brand experiences, the manufacturer aims to strengthen its international position.
According to Celis, the company reached a strategic turning point recently. “A while ago, we reached a point where everything came together,” she explains. She notes that the ambition for international growth dates back to 2010, when Ridley founder Jochim Aerts laid out his plans. “In recent years, Belgian Cycling Factory has consciously built a solid foundation first, so that we can then grow more strongly in the market with confidence and quality.”
Growth driven by dealers
A key step in that strategy was the introduction of the RRC model last year. Under this approach, BCF focuses exclusively on independent bicycle dealers, offering them maximum margins and reduced commercial risk. Products are designed with longer life cycles and supported by upgrade options and service, helping dealers maintain more stable inventory levels and margins.
“Our growth wouldn’t have been possible without our dealers,” Celis emphasizes. Having overseen both corporate marketing and brand marketing for the past three years, she says the company has increased its marketing investment alongside product development. “Besides product development, we’ve invested more in marketing, entering the market with a story. We’re not just another player; we’re now a major international brand with 800 dealers worldwide.”
One partner, multiple brands
BCF’s portfolio includes Ridley as its core brand, alongside Eddy Merckx, Nukeproof, and Aeres e-bikes. This enables dealers to work with a single supplier across a broad range, from high-performance road and racing bikes to e-bikes. “With Aeres, we want to grow in the e-bike segment,” says Celis. “We’re not a newcomer; dealers know our quality. All our brands carry the same quality stamp, which inspires confidence. We also see this reflected in the relaunch of Nukeproof, where the community immediately responded positively: the Belgians will fix it.”
Creating demand among riders
Brand building plays a central role in the RRC model. BCF invests in international visibility through elite sport, including its long-standing partnership with the Uno-X Mobility team in the UCI World Tour, as well as involvement at the highest level of triathlon, gravel, and cyclocross.
At the same time, the marketing team develops its own content, often in cooperation with dealers, to achieve strong regional impact. The brands exhibit annually at seven European trade fairs, where collections are presented and potential customers are referred directly to local dealers.
“The quality of all our brands is our top priority, as is the unconditional choice of our dealers as our exclusive sales channel,” Celis states.
Belgian DNA as a differentiator
A strong emphasis on Belgian heritage further distinguishes the brands. “That’s very important for both riders and dealers; it creates a lot of demand for racing bikes, for example,” Celis explains. “Dealers, in turn, demand the combination of heritage and quality, and they want a Belgian expression for our brands. That’s also why our Aeres models are named after Flemish cities.”
Investor confidence and financial backing
The company’s strategy has also gained the confidence of investors and financial institutions. Growth is supported by a mix of financing options, including crowdlending, crowdfunding, and expanded bank credit facilities. This provides BCF with sufficient working capital to continue investing in marketing and further expansion.
Supporting dealers in the RRC model
Within the RRC framework, dealers act as regional ambassadors. “They are the ambassadors in their region. They offer advice, local service, and speak the same cycling language,” says Celis. To support them, BCF provides a range of tools, including a dealer locator, dedicated dealer pages on brand websites showing available stock, and an app that allows dealers to share both brand and local content on social media. Geographic data is also used to optimize targeted marketing campaigns, while in-store support is offered through dedicated sales packages, particularly for Ridley.
“With our team of ten specialists and specific partnerships with agencies, we support and advise dealers across the board. Ridley is currently our largest brand, and our efforts are commensurate with that,” Celis notes.
She adds that interaction with media and riders is equally important: “In collaboration with various media and through interaction with riders, we ensure that a brand does not remain ‘cold’.”
Feedback from the shop floor
When asked what she expects from dealers, Celis is clear: “Above all, a lot of feedback. Information from the shop floor is crucial for us. For example, not every customer knows what they want when they walk into a bike shop. That might be at the product level, or perhaps they have special requests. We’d love to hear that from dealers so we can support them even better, both with marketing and with new products and innovations from our own R&D department.”
Looking ahead
In September, more than 350 international dealers attended dealer days at the Experience Center in Beringen, where they were briefed on developments across disciplines such as R&D and marketing. “From a marketing perspective, we work year-round and in peak periods, but a solid foundation of communication must be maintained,” Celis explains.
She sees significant opportunities to further strengthen communication with both riders and retailers. “What I enjoy most is that we don’t just communicate about one thing. We’re presenting our story—without it being one-way—and we can test it with different target groups. We can also differentiate between countries and target groups. I prefer not to talk about B2C and B2B, but about Business to Human. From customer to fan and then to ambassador. That’s what I find so rewarding.”
More information about BCF can be accessed on its website cyclingfactory.be.
