Union Vintage Logo
If you are living in the Netherlands you’ve probably noticed more Union bicycles on the street. I’m not talking only about vintage bicycles (the brand was born in 1904!) but new Union bikes, straight from the factory. What you probably don’t know is that Pon Holdings – founded by a former racing car driver and therefore mainly connected to the car market – has adopted a keen interest in bicycles since 2011. Just look at their latest business events:
- 2011: Takeover of Gazelle;
- 2011: Takeover importership of Cervélo;
- 2012: Takeover Union.
These guys mean business. Apart from Gazelle and Cervelo, Union also caught the eye of the Pon family. And no wonder, currently Dutch streets are still populated with Union bicycles from the time they were number 3 in the market with a peak of nearly 200,000 bicycles produced per year. This was in 1974, which means the bicycles nowadays are usually in a poor condition but still running strong and sturdy.
Union Vintage Bike in perfect condition found in Utrecht
Since then, a big fire in 1976 – almost destroying the plant – and a fraudulent financial executive plundered the company and Union could never recover again that same level of business, being sold repeatedly to new owners throughout the decades. Maybe the Pon are the ones which will resurrect the brand. And that takes us to probably their first challenge:
How is the Pon family differentiating two bike brands that were fierce competitors in the past (Union and Gazelle) and now work under the same umbrella?
Looking at the Union bicycles from the 70’s still running strong in the streets, for the marketing guys this was probably an easy task. Here is the “new” Union slogan: “Your reliable steel horse that brings you through wind and rain to the place of destination. Every time.”. Also from their website: “Union bikes are made for the street.” Done deal: Gazelle for more stylish and premium price bicycles, Union for sturdy, durable and affordable ones.
Union bicycles are a case study. It’s one of those brands where the product itself (bicycles) survived the various owners and also marketed itself throughout the decades due to its durability. And fortunately you can now find old and new Unions in the streets of The Netherlands.
70’s Union Flamingo Sport
Love to ride my bicycle 