Brompton’s post-tax losses doubled in 2025 as sales dropped to a five-year low, the company’s latest financial accounts have revealed – though the folding bike brand insists that its outlook remains “optimistic” as the cycling industry continues to “normalise” following years of upheaval.
While Brompton appeared to be weathering the storm engulfing the cycling market better than most, as profits jumped by 35 per cent in 2023, the British manufacturer’s profits nosedived by 99 per cent the following year, with increased operational costs, an over-dependency on China, and heavy discounting by rivals cited as key factors behind this sudden drop.
Those figures prompted Brompton’s managing director Will Butler-Adams to warn at the start of 2025 that the cycling industry “will not get better this year” amid a “really sad state of affairs” for the global sector as it struggles to adapt in the wake of the post-pandemic boom.
This sobering trend has continued in Brompton’s latest accounts, published this week, which show that the iconic folding bike brand posted a post-tax loss of £2,080,141 for the year ending 31 March 2025, nearly double the £1,046,280 loss recorded the previous year.
Turnover was also down, albeit incrementally, from £122.5m to £121.4m, as sales fell by 7.5 per cent to 78,530, compared with 84,899 the previous year.
However, Brompton’s operating profit nevertheless increased to £49,409, following a loss of £469,659 in 2024, with pre-tax profits rising from just £4,602 to £130,476, a 0.11 per cent margin on sales.
This small increase in profit margin, Brompton says, is “primarily due to improved overhead cost control, accounting for a relatively smaller percentage of turnover compared to the prior year”.
Assessing the results in the report, Butler-Adams described the year as one “marked by both significant achievements and setbacks”.
Despite the concerning financial figures, Butler-Adams noted that the company’s “significant investment in R&D bore fruit” with the launch of Brompton’s first ever large wheel bike, the G line off-road bike, launched in October 2024 and available in both electric and non-electric models.
The G Line accounted for around nine per cent of the brand’s total sales last year (6,707 bikes in total), as well as 9.8 per cent of its turnover (approximately £12m).
Brompton’s Bike Hire subscription service, which allows cyclists to rent a Brompton for £35 per month from 79 docks located across the UK’s major cities, also grew by 45 per cent during the year.
“Looking forward, the outlook remains optimistic, with normalisation in the cycling industry after consecutive years of challenges, the impending launch of the G line in new markets, and continued investment in new products lines, which the Brompton Group is excited to release soon,” Butler-Adams said.
However, speaking late last year, Brompton’s managing director nevertheless warned that there are still “ongoing challenges” in the sector.
“Exactly where we don’t quite know, but we’re going to be up both in turnover and profit. Having had three years of tough trading, we’re beginning to see a recovery,” he said last month.
“Ongoing challenges in the industry are causing many dealers to hesitate when it comes to making further investments in stock, which has a knock-on impact on our individual bike unit sales,” said Butler-Adams.
He added that direct sales to consumers was growing, and that insolvencies could help them survive, as “we’ve cleaned out 30 per cent of the people making bikes.”
Butler-Adams also urged the UK government not to “stifle” growth, claiming that last year’s minimum wage and national insurance contribution increases cost the company £2m and led to 40 job losses.
2 thoughts on “Brompton “optimistic” as cycling industry “normalises” – despite folding bike brand’s post-tax losses doubling”
Maybe not charging rip-off
Maybe not charging rip-off prices for products that were last updated in the Stone Age might help
The markets obviously
The markets obviously expected Brompton to fold.