Lucien expands with Fietsen King’s Danish cargo bikes

Lucien, the bicycle shop chain under the wings of Belgian’s most significant car importer D’Ieteren, is expanding its territory again with the recent acquisition of ‘Fietsen King’ in Louvain.

It will be the 17th Lucien shop. Until now, D’Ieteren’s bicycle subsidiary was mainly active in and around Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent. Later this year, the chain will also open a shop in Malines and a second one in Louvain (Diestsevest). Antwerp will have its own flagship store next year.

Danish cargo bikes

Fietsen King always was a trendsetter in gravel bikes and sold innovative brands such as Brompton and Bullit. With the takeover of Fietsen King, Lucien now becomes a distributor of the well-known Danish Bullit cargo bikes, but that is not an exclusive agreement.

Louvain is a university city, and bicycles are very popular over there. For thousands of students, the bicycle is often their main or only means of transport. The former Fietsen King shop in the Werkhuizenstraat will continue to focus mainly on its current products and the sportier segment.

Diestsevest

The coming store on the Diestsevest – opening is expected by the end of October – will house a wide range of e-bikes, cargo bikes, speed pedelecs, and longtails.

Two years ago, D’Ieteren founded Lucien through an ongoing takeover series of independent bicycle shops. Last year, the chain realized a turnover of about 20 million euros.

The name Lucien is a nod to Lucien Van Impe, the last Belgian Tour winner, but also refers to Lucien D’Ieteren (1880-1966), who decided in 1931 to switch from car bodybuilding to assembly and import of the Studebaker and Pierce-Arrow brands, later the brands of the Volkswagen Group.