Pon Holdings

Pon Holdings BV is a Dutch conglomerate in the transportation sector. It was founded in 1980 by Ben Pon, Jr., a former racing car driver and son of Ben Pon, Sr., who became the importer of Volkswagen in the Netherlands in 1947. As of 2021 it is still owned by the Pon family.

Pon Holdings BV
TypePrivately held company
IndustryConglomerate
Founded1980
Founder Ben Pon, Jr.
HeadquartersAlmere, Netherlands
Key people
Janus Smalbraak (Executive)
ProductsAutomobile
Bicycles
Technology consulting

[1]
Fire safety[1]
Agriculture

[2]
Number of employees
13,000
Websitehttps://pon.com

It is one of the five largest bicycle manufacturers in the world, and owns bicycle brands Caloi, Cannondale, Cervélo, Derby Cycle (owner of Focus), GT, Gazelle, IronHorse, Kalkhoff, Mongoose, Santa Cruz, Veloretti, and Schwinn, among others.[3]

Activities

Automotive

Pon Holdings operates in the automotive and transport sectors through many subsidiaries, involved in activities, such as:

Cycling

Pon owns Cervélo,[3] Derby Cycle (owner of Focus Bikes[3]), Dorel Sports (parent company of Cannondale, Schwinn, GT Bicycles, Mongoose, Caloi, and IronHorse),[4] Gazelle,[3] Kalkhoff,[3] Union,[3] Santa Cruz Bicycles[3] (owner of Reserve Wheels[5]), Swapfiets, Veloretti, and others.

History
  • 1986: Takeover importership of SEAT
  • 1988: Takeover of Transmark Groep, Motrac (Linde)
  • 1992: Takeover importership of Škoda
  • 1995: Founding of BelCompany in cooperation with Macintosh Retail Group
  • 1998: Founding of Pon North America
  • 2003: Takeover of Geveke N.V., Founding of Pon Equipment & Power Systems
  • 2005: Founding of Pon Logistic Solutions, Shanghai, China
  • 2011: Takeover of Gazelle[6]
  • 2011: Takeover importership of Cervélo.[7]
  • 2013: Acquisition of Callidus Group [8]
  • 2015: Takeover of Imtech Marine[9]
  • 2019: Acquisition of Urban Arrow[10]
  • 2021: Acquisition of Mike's Bikes (a 12 store San Francisco Bay Area bicycle retailer)[3]
  • 2021: Acquisition of Dorel Sports[11]
  • 2022: Takeover of Veloretti[12]

Pre-dating Pon Holding

In 1895 Mijndert Pon, father of Ben Pon (senior) operated a vehicle repairshop. His sons Ben and Wijnand took ownership of the company.

  • 1931: Founding of Pon's Automobielhandel (by then a chain of car dealerships) by Ben and his brother Wijnand Pon
  • 1936: importership Continental AG and Federal
  • 1947: importership Volkswagen
  • 1948: importership Porsche

References
  1. "Industrial Mobility". Pon Holdings. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  2. "Agricultural Products & Services". Pon Holdings. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  3. Frothingham, Steve (18 August 2021). "UPDATED: Bay Area retail powerhouse Mike's Bikes sold to Pon Group, the owner of Santa Cruz and Cervelo". Bicycle Retailer & Industry News. ...Pon, the Dutch parent of Santa Cruz, Cervelo, Gazelle, Focus, Urban Arrow, and other bike, mobility, and auto brands. Pon also acquired Public Bikes, ... Migndert Pon opened a retail store in Holland in 1867 that sold general goods including bicycles. The Pon business later began to import and distribute auto brands including Opel, Volkswagen and General Motors. Today the company remains owned by the Pon family and has more than 13,000 employees. In addition to the brands mentioned above, Pon owns the Union and Kalkhoff bike brands,
  4. "Pon becomes biggest in bicycles with Dorel Sports take-over". bike-eu.com. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  5. "Reserve Carbon Wheels". Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  6. Elektrische fiets van Gazelle belangrijk voor Pon, De Gelderlander, 28 June 2011.
  7. PON gaat fietsen Cervélo verkopen, wielerland.nl, 27 December 2011.
  8. "About". Callidus Group. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  9. , RH Marine Group, 21 October 2015.
  10. Pon Bike Acquires Electric Cargo Bike Brand Urban Arrow
  11. "Pon becomes biggest in bicycles with Dorel Sports take-over". bike-eu.com. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  12. "Pon Holdings buys consumer direct label Veloretti". cyclingindustry.news. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
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