French e-bike refurbisher Upway opens first Belgian branch

After Paris, Berlin, and New York, Upway, a French chain that sells used electric bicycles, is now opening a depot in Mechelen (Belgium). The new branch will create 65 new jobs. About 2,000 e-bikes will be refurbished monthly, and customers can buy them exclusively online.

Research by Upway and iVOX shows that 29% of Belgian families own an e-bike, and 4% of non-owners would like one. The only thing often holding them back is the price, and that is precisely what Upway wants to address. According to Philippe De Schutter of Upway, the refurbished used bikes at the Mechelen branch are 60% cheaper than a new bike. There is also a one-year warranty.

Cycling city

The Mechelen branch will be 2,500 square meters and equipped with a workstation, car wash, warehouse, photo studio, and packaging line. Upway is expected to provide about 65 jobs here by the end of the year. Technicians, logistics workers, sales associates, and managers are needed.

Upway chose Mechelen because it was voted cycling city as recently as 2022 – the number of cyclists in Mechelen has increased by 30% over the past three years. The fact that the Dijle city is on the Antwerp-Brussels axis was another critical factor in the choice. “That is important to attract enough skilled personnel,” De Schutter told Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper.

About 2,000 e-bikes will be inspected and refurbished at Upway Mechelen every month. They will then be sold online and delivered to homes.

More than 20,000 e-bikes have been  refurbished

According to data from the mobility federation Traxio, the market share of e-bikes in total bicycle sales in Belgium last year was 47,2%.

Since its founding in Paris in 2021 by former Uber executives, Upway has raised 60 million dollars and refurbished more than 20,000 e-bikes, which it collects from various sources, such as bike stores (including more than 250 in Belgium), manufacturers, and individuals.

In July last year, it also proposed to help out e-bike customers of bankrupt Dutch VanMoof.