Stefan Lohwasser new shareholder at Storck Bicycle

The traditional company Storck Bicycle has a new shareholder since the beginning of August 2020. Just in time for the company's 25th anniversary, Stefan Lohwasser joins Storck as an investor. The new shareholder replaces the long-standing strategic partner Decathlon and takes over its 25 percent share in the company. The founder and previous majority owner, Markus Storck, also sold 25 percent of his shares to Lohwasser. As a result, Storck and Lohwasser are now equal partners as the new shareholder duo. By taking over the shares, Lohwasser not only wants to contribute financially to the company's continued success, but also to use his experience and passion to drive the professionalization and growth of the Idstein-based company.

Stefan Lohwasser is an experienced manager and has many years of financial and sales expertise in the business world. As a shareholder and board member of B&O Service AG with 1800 employees, he was responsible for a sales volume of approximately 200 million euros. Parallel to his professional career, however, cycling runs like a thread through his life. He began racing at the age of eight. In the course of his sporting career, he successfully established himself in all amateur classes. Subsequently, Lohwasser also devoted himself briefly to triathlon.

He has since retired from active competitive sports and now focuses on entrepreneurial activities. In 2019, Lohwasser founded "Cycling Friends (www.cyclingfriends.com). Based in South Africa, the company offers specialized bike tours in addition to a professional bike store, a bike rental shop for high-quality road bikes and mountain bikes, and a bike café. During the intensive start-up phase for Cycling Friends, Lohwasser and Storck got to know and appreciate each other.

The same wavelength was also a reason for joining the company. Lohwasser sees great potential: "Storck enjoys the highest reputation in the industry. Through progressive innovation, timeless design and high quality, the Storck brand has managed to establish an unmistakable image." For sustainable success, however, fresh ideas and young minds who want to dare to do something new are always needed, Lohwasser continued. "I'm therefore delighted to be joining this well-established company and shaping the growth story together with Markus Storck."

The realignment is also welcomed by the company. "In Stefan Lohwasser, Storck has gained an active, forward-looking shareholder. With him the company now
It is an enrichment for the whole team to shape the future together. I would like to thank Decathlon for ten years of trusting cooperation and look forward to further joint successes," says Markus Storck. With the shares split 50/50, Storck remains a family-run company. This was very important to the founder after 25 years of intensive work building up the Storck brand. Developing further, without diluting the values of the brand, therefore continues to be a strategic goal with high priority. The previous shareholder Decathlon will also remain with the company as a strategic sales partner. For the future, the new shareholder duo is focusing on the further development of outstanding bikes, but also on practical and environmentally friendly mobility solutions. "These will have a great future ahead of them," Storck and Lohwasser agree.