Interview with Peter Koperdraad

Distributor in the spotlight: MERIDA Benelux

MERIDA is an international brand with distributors all over the world. We look forward to getting a behind-the-scenes look at as many of these distributors as possible to share more about our global MERIDA family. Each distributorship is run by individuals who put a personal spin on how they market and sell our bikes locally; Some also have unique and quirky locations.

MERIDA makes all kinds of bikes, but each country has its favorites to suit the type of bikes that are popular in that country. This is the beginning of a new series that builds on the popularity of our "behind the brand" interviews. We'll take a closer look at what each distributor does, and we'll also spend some time talking to employees to get their unique perspective on the brand, find out what kind of cyclists they are, and why they love working for MERIDA. For the first episode of this 'Distributor in the spotlight' series, we visited the MERIDA EXPERIENCE CENTER in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, which is responsible for the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg) and Denmark. They were one of the first pioneering distributors for MERIDA, so we thought this was a good place to start.

To get the ball rolling in this series, we first spoke to Peter Koperdraad, director of Merida Benelux. We asked him how he started.

You are clearly in an impressive building. How did MERIDA end up here, what was it before and what attracted you to use it as a headquarters?

This used to be a Harley Davidson dealership and I used to come here regularly because I liked motorcycles at the time. One day I noticed that the motorcycles were gone and the building turned out to be for rent. It is a really great building because it not only has a large showroom and huge storage space, but also a bar, a pool table and a fireplace! So in 2009, MERIDA took over the building and we have been located here ever since. It's called the MERIDA EXPERIENCE CENTER because we want customers to not just come to look at bikes, but actually experience them. This is very important, especially when customers make a large financial investment in a bike; They need to know what it feels like to ride it. We also want dealers to be able to come here and see all that MERIDA has to offer in this setting.

For customers, we have almost any size bike available for a test ride. They can book a test ride online and then get one-on-one support from a Merida employee. We have a 'fitting room' to determine the best size bike for everyone. There are all kinds of cycling routes available right from our front door, and we are happy to provide customers with a GPS with routes of varying distances. This way, they don't have to worry about the route; They can just discover the bike and enjoy the ride. After a test ride, you can use our showers and changing rooms, so it's all about the whole experience, which makes us unique in what we can offer. If a customer wants to buy the bike, they can order it online and then pick it up at their local dealer. In the Netherlands, it is customary to trade in your old bike when you buy a new one, so this means that every customer can still do this through their local MERIDA dealer.

What other 'services' can you offer here to end users, dealers and your staff?

The public can walk in at any time to look around the Merida Experience Center and speak with one of our employees. Here we can offer that little bit extra because we are 'closer to the fire'. Customers can see all the bikes in our range in any colour, in a MERIDA-focused environment. Many of our employees are also enthusiastic cyclists themselves, so they have real knowledge and experience with cycling that they can share. In addition, they also have a lot of technical knowledge about the brand, which helps to find the right bike for each customer. We run dealer shows where all of our 600 dealers can book an appointment online to spend time here with our staff, discover new bikes and see them before they are available. In addition, we also run technical workshops to show people how to maintain their bikes. We have team presentations of cycling teams here and also use the space for international product launches and presentations.

Over the years, MERIDA has changed as a brand. You must have experienced some of the milestones in the company's history. Which ones have been the most significant to you?

There are too many to mention, but if I have to choose a few, I would definitely start with the opening of the MERIDA EXPERIENCE CENTER in 2009. When I did this, my goal was to increase the 'cool factor' of the brand. The second milestone was in 2012 with the start of the Lampre MERIDA cycling team, which culminated in Sonny Colbrelli winning Paris-Roubaix in 2021. The third milestone was when the NINETY-SIX RC XT was named 'Mountain Bike of the Year' at the 'FietsAwards 2021' of the Royal RAI Association in the Netherlands. It was great to get this recognition for a bike that we all knew was a winner.

The most recent milestone was when Matej Mohorič, a Slovenian rider from Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, won the Gravel World Championship on a SILEX. The win itself was great, but it also happened the day before we launched the bike for the international cycling press – that was perfect timing. Gravel fever has gripped the Benelux region, because we have the right terrain for it, and this victory on a SILEX showed that MERIDA is at the forefront of this new cycling discipline.

How is MERIDA perceived in your market(s)? Has that changed over time?

The 'cool factor' of MERIDA has increased thanks to the Experience Center and the sponsorship of Team Bahrain Victorious. Our range includes strong bikes in every segment (road, gravel, mountain bike, e-bikes), and we've received countless great reviews and awards, which keeps our reputation growing every year. Our dealers really appreciate this, as well as the quality of the bikes. They see this up close, as they rarely have warranty issues with MERIDA bikes.

Do you work with athletes in your market?

We sponsor a local cycling club and have set up a corner in our shop specifically for their equipment. Road cycling teams are sponsored through our dealers. In addition, we work together with influencers on social media, such as Carlos Platier Luna, a former judoka and winner of Expedition Robinson, a well-known TV program in the Netherlands. For us, it is important that this content is real and authentic, and contributes to making cycling more accessible to everyone, so that a wider audience can enjoy cycling.

Let's talk about cycling. What are the most important bikes for the Benelux market?

Our focus for the Benelux region is on selling sporty and city-oriented e-bikes such as the eONE-FORTY EQ, the eSPRESSO series and the eBIG.NINE EQ, road bikes such as the REACTO and SCULTURA, and our new favourite: the SILEX gravel bikes. As the love for gravel riding has grown strongly in the Benelux region, an increasing proportion of our sales consists of gravel bikes such as the SILEX 4000, SILEX 7000 and SILEX 400. The 400 is especially popular among cyclists who not only enjoy recreational 'gravelling', but also use the bicycle as a means of transport for commuting, for example. In road bikes, the REACTO is the most popular because of my country's geographical 'restrictions', and of course we love speed. For mountain biking, the BIG. NINE and NINETY-SIX very popular for racing, but the overall demand for mountain bikes has been influenced by the popularity of the SILEX series.

Since you've been part of the MERIDA family for a long time, we're assuming you have a few historic bikes in your collection?

Funny you should ask that – we have 50 MERIDA museum bikes scattered throughout the Experience Center. They remind visitors of the long heritage of MERIDA, which has been producing bicycles since 1972. Many of them are in our warehouse, so I hope that one day we will have the time and space to display them properly. Of all the museum bikes, the Extreme 907 blue road bike means the most to me. Bart, our marketing manager, bought this used for himself and then discovered that the bike originally came from us, as it was one of our earliest trial models. When I discovered this, I tried to buy the bike from him, but he wouldn't sell it. Instead, he gave it to me as a gift when MERIDA celebrated its 50th anniversary and I celebrated my 25th anniversary at MERIDA. So now it is proudly at my office!

We know that you have a few employees who have been with you for a number of years. Who holds the record for the longest length of service?

Besides myself, Corné Brands holds the record; He started with us in 1999 as a sales representative! We also have Eric Dekker, who started a few years after Corné. Initially, he worked in our warehouse for a few hours and now he works full-time in the office. It makes our company special that people want to stay here for a long time and be part of our little family.

Why do people join the team and, most importantly, why do they stay?

I wake up every day with a smile and look forward to going to work, because I sell fun! I think the staff enjoy working here because they get autonomy and I respect the importance of family life. By giving people the freedom to work independently, I get more back from them as employees. For example, the dealers all know that they can call the representatives on weekends because that's when the stores are open and the representatives are always answering, so the company benefits from this flexibility on both sides.

We provide lunch for the team every day; There is a kitchen here where they can prepare snacks from the fresh bread we get every morning. Marieke cleans the Experience Center and prepares lunch on Wednesdays, baking fresh omelettes. This way, everyone takes a moment to have a good break together in the bar, which is great for team spirit.

I also encourage the staff to express their opinions and challenge me, which I appreciate. They all have a lot of experience in their field and are keen to contribute their own ideas. We have learned that the plans we make together are often the best. In the end, of course, I make the final decision, but the team knows that they can speak freely, and I think that's important. I'm proud of my team and what we've accomplished, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for us and the MERIDA brand!

Finally

You leave the MERIDA EXPERIENCE CENTER feeling that it is indeed a nice place to work (as stated on the sign on the boiler room door). The staff is proud of the brand and passionate about their work. It is an inclusive environment, and it is clear that although they are a small team for the size of the MERIDA EXPERIENCE CENTER, they all like to work together to complete all the necessary tasks. It seems that many people have come to work here through a personal connection with Peter, and the team relationships are both friendly and collegial.

The building itself is quirky and has a very cool look. The showroom and offices feature sculptures and artwork with a modern look, adding flair to the environment. The sheer size of the space ensures that each bike can be displayed and viewed from all sides, with plenty of room to appreciate every little detail – almost like looking at art exhibitions. As soon as you leave the Experience Center, you have direct access to the best cycling routes the Netherlands has to offer; Whether you're into gravel, hitting the road, or exploring singletrack, there's everything here!

Our next interview will be with Andrea Lodder, a glamorous gravel fanatic with a keen interest in bikepacking, coming from the MERIDA BENELUX marketing team.