Building had been earmarked for Kent wetlands site
Hollaway Studio’s plans to create a new headquarters and factory for Brompton Bikes on a 100-acre wetlands site near Ashford in Kent have been put on hold after the bicycle manufacturer saw profit last year virtually wiped out.
The firm said pre-tax profit fell to £4,602 in the year to March 2024 from £10.7m on turnover down 5% to £123m.
> Also read: Hollaway Studio designs ‘floating’ bike factory for Brompton
The company, which is best known for its folding bikes, blamed the faltering global bicycle market and an oversupply of cheaper bikes for the falls.
Hollaway Studio’s scheme, drawn up three years ago, for a new £100m HQ was planned to include a circular building positioned on stilts 2.2m above the flood plain which would have been turned into a nature reserve open to the public.
At the time, Brompton said its ambition was to be able to produce more than 200,000 bikes a year and employ more than 1,500 staff. In its last set of accounts, bike sales fell 8% to 84,899 although staff numbers were up 5% to 844.
The new headquarters would have also included a museum and was due to have completed by 2027. Brompton’s current factory is in Greenford, west London.
No comments yet