Niche British bike maker CCM has been hit by the multiple woes affecting the trade during the winter, and has cut back on staff and plans for new products. MCN reported last month that the firm had reduced staff numbers to just 12 as part of a “strategic” reduction in head count. MCN says the firm has also paused the development of a new Project X adventure bike model.
The Bolton-based firm lost one of its biggest retail partners when Completely Motorbikes closed down last year, while the trade-wide new bike sales slump and effects of Euro 5+ regulations have also had an impact.
“Last year wasn’t the best for dealers.” CCM MD Jason Broome told MCN. “One of our major partners closed, which had quite a detrimental effect. We don’t see this year as being a lot stronger than last year. Our average annual production has typically been around 300 bikes. We didn’t make anything like that in 2024, maybe 150.”
But he’s sanguine about 2025. “Our sales are reasonably healthy, considering it’s only March,” he told MCN. “We’re in the very positive position that we can adjust things quickly. We don’t have a big pipeline pumping out bikes to be forced into dealers. We’re demand and supply, rather than supply and then hope for demand.
“We have no debt. We have no bank loans. No one’s coming to foreclose or put us into administration, so from that perspective, we’re in a healthy position.”