EUROPE’S LEADING CHILDREN’S BIKE BRAND, WOOM, ACCELERATES GLOBAL EXPANSION WITH DIRECT UK LAUNCH
- Europe’s leading premium children’s bike brand, woom, scales its UK presence with a new direct subsidiary and nationwide retail rollout.
- The launch follows a landmark year of growth across Europe and the US, yielding €149M (approximately GBP 130 million), in revenue and over 392,000 units sold in 2025.
- With the new Kids Advisory Board and ‘enjoy the ride’ campaign, woom puts children at the heart of product engineering and brand storytelling.
LONDON, UK - April 2026: woom, the European leader in premium bikes for children and teenagers, today announces the official launch of its direct operations in the United Kingdom. This strategic expansion marks a significant milestone in woom’s international growth, transitioning the brand to a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model and a comprehensive retail rollout across the country.
To spearhead this transition, woom has established a dedicated UK subsidiary and successfully integrated the team from The Little Bike Company, its long-term UK partner since 2017, into the woom organization. Simon Timlett has been appointed as Country Manager to lead the brand’s British operations.
A fast-growing global success story
The UK expansion follows a landmark year for the Vienna-founded company. In 2025, woom achieved record-breaking global revenue of €149 million (approximately GBP 130 million), with 392,000 bikes sold. While the wider cycling industry faced headwinds, woom grew seven times faster than the market average.
The UK has emerged as a primary engine for this growth, recording a 121% year-on-year increase, positioning it as one of the brand's most critical global markets.
“Setting up our own team in the UK is about being closer to the families who use our bikes every day; we want to provide the best possible service and a product that truly gets more kids outside,” said Bernd Hake, CEO of woom. “The UK is a powerhouse cycling market and it’s time we played at the highest level here. By going direct, we’re putting our foot on the gas to ensure woom is the first choice for families who care about performance. We’ve had a record-breaking year, but we aren’t slowing down. We’re here to be fast, stay local, and earn our place on the streets of London and in every community across the UK."
Bernd Hake, who was appointed woom CEO in October 2024, brings over two decades of international leadership experience across global consumer brands. Having lived with his family in the UK since 2009, Hake possesses a deep personal and professional understanding of the British market, uniquely positioning him to lead woom’s next chapter of growth in the region.
Innovation: Designed for Kids, Shaped by Kids
Since its inception in 2013, woom has revolutionised the industry with its focus on child-specific geometry and ultralight frames. The brand continues to push boundaries with new releases, such as the woom WOW self-balancing bike for toddlers.
In a move to further align product development with user experience, woom has introduced its Kids Advisory Board. This initiative integrates children directly into the design and storytelling process, ensuring that the next generation of bikes is built not just for kids, but with them. This philosophy is at the core of the new global brand campaign, ‘enjoy the ride.’
Official UK Launch Event
To celebrate the launch, woom hosted an exclusive 'test-and-trial' event at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on 28 April. The event gathered press, key influencers, parents, and industry partners for an immersive brand experience, showcasing the full woom product range and outlining the company’s ambitious roadmap for the UK market.
Images:
Download-Link, Copyright woom GmbH
CV + portrait photos:
Download-Link, CV + portrait photos of woom CEO Bernd Hake (LinkedIn) & VP of innovation Chris Small (LinkedIn)
Product range available in the UK
- woom WOW - product images download-link
A self-balancing bike designed for toddlers aged 9 months and up, helping children experience their first moments on two wheels.
product images download-link - woom GO - product images download-link
The perfect bike for starting out, designed for children aged 18 months to 8 years to learn to ride safely and build confidence with a superlight frame and child-specific geometry. - woom EXPLORE - product images download-link
A superlight, sporty all-rounder for children aged 6 to 14, designed for everyday riding across tarmac, gravel and woodland terrain. - woom OFF & woom OFF AIR - product images download-link
Superlight mountain bikes for children aged 6 to 14, built for off-road adventures, with premium components including disc brakes and all-terrain tyres.
Notes to editor:
woom bikes have previously been available to UK customers via select third-party retailers. This launch marks the brand’s official UK market entry, including direct-to-consumer sales via a dedicated UK website and a planned retail rollout.
About woom
woom is an international manufacturer of bikes for children and teenagers with its headquarters in Vienna, Austria. The company was founded in 2013 by two bike-loving dads, Christian Bezdeka and Marcus Ihlenfeld, in a garage in Vienna. After searching the market in vain for suitable bikes for their own children, they decided to develop and build their own. With their light weight, timeless design, high-quality components and child-specific geometry, woom bikes set new standards for premium children's bikes. In just a few years, woom went from a little-known brand to the market leader in Austria. Since then, woom has made a name for itself around the world. In more than 40 countries – including the USA, the Middle East and China – you'll now find kids and teens riding woom bikes.
Inquiries & contact:
Grayling UK woomuk@grayling.com