12:00 p.m., August 4, 2021
She did not wait for the vogue of the electric bicycle to identify the trend. Barely out of her business school in 2014, Anne-Sophie Caistiker launched her solo battery repair and reconditioning business. The market is then only a niche: customers cling to models without assistance. In 2013, only 50,000 units were sold. Seven years later, that number has increased tenfold. And sales, boosted by multiple state and local government aid and by the health crisis, are still soaring by 30% in 2020.
The start-up benefits – its turnover doubles in one year. The Villeurbanne warehouse now has around twenty full-time employees. Ten hires are planned from September, as well as the opening of a workshop in Germany, where Doctibike already achieves 10% of its turnover. “Our model is quite simple: customers drop off their batteries at a transporter and we receive them at our workshop in Villeurbanne forty-eight hours later”, explains the young woman.
Diversify to last, in a competitive sector
In addition to a gesture for the environment, cyclists save money: “A new battery costs between 500 and 600 euros. Reconditioning is 30% cheaper, argues the founder, who guarantees her interventions for two years. Especially, in In most cases, the battery failure is due to a simple breakage. The repair then costs between 30 and 100 euros. “
In addition to her clientele of private individuals at the start, Anne-Sophie Caistiker has set up partnerships with Intersport, Decathlon and Tier, a major European player in self-service fleets, and claims to be “leader in France”. To face increased competition – there are about ten in this sector – the company has diversified its activities. For two years, the start-up has been repairing all the electric assistance systems for micromobilities: bicycles, scooters and scooters. Enough to continue to develop in a growing market.
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