Due diligence investigation: Century Autogroep

Century Autogroep, a provider of mobility solutions in the Groningen and Drenthe regions, has acquired bicycle specialist Velodroom Roden (formerly BikeLife Roden). De Jong & Laan carried out the financial due diligence investigation for Century Autogroep.

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Due diligence investigation

Due diligence investigation: Century Autogroep

Due diligence Corporate finance

For both Century Autogroep and Velodroom Roden, this marked a major step in expanding their joint mobility offering and delivering mobility solutions across the northern Netherlands.

Acquisition of an established business

Velodroom is the largest mega-experience bicycle showroom in the northern Netherlands, with over 3,000 sqm of cycling inspiration. The showroom features city bikes, electric bikes, racing bikes, and mountain bikes with brands including Gazelle, Kalkhoff, Cannondale, Batavus, Koga, and Trek.

It also holds dealership rights for a number of electric cargo bikes, including Urban Arrow. Velodroom is a leading name in bike servicing and maintenance, bicycle leasing via Lease-a-Bike, as well as bike apparel, accessories, and online & in-person cycling events.

Velodroom’s current owner, Alex Kapma, will remain involved as both shareholder and managing director and will continue to be responsible for day-to-day operations.

Timon Schuurmans Adviseur corporate finance

Expanding as a mobility partner

Since it was founded in 1932, Century has grown into a full-service mobility partner with 12 locations and over 350 employees across Groningen and Drenthe. Century holds dealerships for Audi, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, SEAT, and ŠKODA. It also operates a state-of-the-art car wash, vehicle conversion centre, rental and short-lease services, a leasing division, and a damage repair branch.

In response to the growing demand for zero-emission transport, Century also offers (electric) bicycles, cargo bikes, car-sharing solutions, and Carver vehicles, a 100% electric city vehicle. In this way, Century provides both private and business customers with a complete solution for their sustainable mobility needs.

A unique and sustainable mobility offering

The acquisition of Velodroom further strengthens Century’s position in the bicycle market (the company has been a Kalkhoff dealer since 2018) and aligns perfectly with its strategy to make mobility smarter and more sustainable. Velodroom’s wide range of products and its company culture are a natural fit for Century.

Since 1994, Velodroom has stood for hospitality, accessibility, and high-quality service. The acquisition brings together expertise and product lines, creating a unique and sustainable mobility offering in the northern region.

Rapidly growing bicycle market

Erik Meems, director/owner of Century Autogroep: “We see strong commercial potential in the rapidly growing bicycle market. Adding bicycles to our offering makes perfect sense, and it’s important to us to be able to provide our customers with a complete mobility solution.”

We’ve both been seeking out opportunities for years and have built a successful collaboration in the evolving mobility market.

“As a leading player in the northern Netherlands, we aim to exceed customer expectations, including by offering a complete range of mobility solutions. Alongside our established automotive brands and services such as leasing, short-lease, and rental, we’re seeing increasing demand for full-service mobility that includes bicycles. The vision of Alex Kapma, founder of Velodroom, aligns perfectly with ours. We’ve both been seeking out opportunities for years and have built a successful collaboration in the evolving mobility market. We’re proud to welcome this great company!”

The future of mobility

Alex Kapma, owner of Velodroom: “In recent years, Century and Velodroom have often discussed the future of mobility and our shared role in shaping it. At Velodroom, our focus has always been on service, quality, and the joy of cycling, and we’re now a leading name in the bicycle sector in the northern Netherlands.

We’ve experienced tremendous growth in recent years, and I’m thrilled that we can now strengthen our overall mobility offering, provide an even wider range of services to our B2B and B2C customers, and continue the upward trajectory we’ve been on. With Century as a strong mobility partner by our side, a whole new world of opportunities opens up.”