Shoppers at IKEA furniture stores in Denmark now have a new option for bringing their large, bulky purchases home: a fleet of Velorbis bikes with trailers that are available for loan at (virtually) no charge.
IKEA launched the program last month after market research found that 20 percent of its Danish customers ride their bikes to the store. It then partnered with Danish Freetrailer, an organization that loans out free trailers for both bikes and cars, to establish the service, which has already begun at IKEA's Gentofte store. To borrow a bike and trailer, customers must put down a deposit of about USD 100 and then either pay USD 7 for insurance or be liable in case the bike is damaged or stolen, according to a report in Treehugger. The trailers may be kept overnight and returned the next day. Since the program's launch at the Gentofte store, IKEA representatives from Sweden, Germany and China have flown in to see it in action, according to Copenhagenize.
Recognizing—and celebrating—the preferences of eco-minded consumers makes good sense for IKEA, which is bound to share in the eco-iconic glory. Next, it needs to start selling those bikes and trailers! One to emulate in bicycle-friendly cities around the world. (Related: Cargo bikes for greener business deliveries.)
Website: www.freetrailer.dk
Contact: info@freetrailer.dk
Spotted by: Copenhagenize via RK
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Hi,
I love the look of the Velorbis bicycles. Does anyone know where I can buy them in the US?
/Nick
Can't wait for the loaner trailers to come to IKEA locations in America. I'm absolutely sure they will be a hit in cities such as Portland, Oregon. What will those crazy Danes think of next? :)
The Dutch Bicycle Company distributes the Velorbis bikes in the US - www.dutchbikes.us
vending tri cycles quotation
to be used for ice cream selling, stocked with coller boxes
kindly get o me as sson as possible
I found the velorbis bicycles here www.velorbis.com
These bikes are awesome!!!
lurifox | July 10, 2008 9:02 AM