Ekoï, success thanks to online commerce and the Tour de France

Created almost 25 years ago, the cycling equipment brand is thriving thanks to online sales and the boom in cycling.

Don’t look for any meaning: the name Ekoï means nothing, according to the founder of the brand Jean-Christophe Rattel. “At the time in 2001he says, this was inspired by Nokia, Ikea, internationally successful brands. What I wanted was not to have a brand that was Franco-French, but that was already international.”

Created in Roubaix, the cycling equipment brand moved to Fréjus, in the Var, in 2008. Another revolution: all sales then move online, no more commerce in stores. Success is immediate. “We made 50,000 euros the first year, ten times more the year after, in 2010 we must have made almost 2 million in direct sales,” explains the founder of Ekoï.

Today, turnover has reached 50 million euros, largely thanks to the Tour de France and the brand’s four partner teams. “The visibility on television is incredible, it increases traffic to our site and therefore, automatically, sales.”

Ekoï defines itself as the “French Zara of the bike” by promoting quality products at reasonable prices. However, Ekoï produces some of its equipment in Asia: bicycle helmets.. “There is no European manufacturer capable of delivering enough” argues Jean-Christophe Rattel. Textiles remain manufactured in Europe.