Velo-ce S.R.L. has completed its acquisition of titanium specialist Van Nicholas from the Accell Group, with the Italian firm assuming full operational control of the brand from 6 January 2026.
The deal is part of Velo-ce’s push into the premium adventure and travel segment. The company will migrate Van Nicholas sales systems, custom configuration tools and production into its network of facilities in the Milan metropolitan area.
From this month, Velo-ce is responsible for all existing dealer agreements, after-sales service and frame production for Van Nicholas, consolidating welding, wheelbuilding and assembly within its low-emission European manufacturing model.
“Bringing Van Nicholas into the Velo-ce family reflects shared values, building premium bicycles in a low-emission, cost-efficient European facility,” said Anton Nijhuis, business developer at Velo-ce, when the deal was announced. Chief executive Stefano Moruzzi added that riders would “experience the best of both worlds, titanium resilience and Italian manufacturing”.
Accell trims portfolio as Velo-ce expands
For Accell, the sale forms part of a wider transformation programme launched after it reported a €390 million loss in 2023, including €344 million in write-offs, obsolete stock and the Babboe cargo bike recall. The group has been cutting finished bike inventory, consolidating warehouses and shifting high-volume production for brands such as Babboe and Koga to Hungary while refocusing its Dutch Heerenveen facility on design and R&D.
Van Nicholas, a relatively low-volume titanium brand, was classed as non-core within that restructuring.
Its move into a smaller, vertically integrated owner contrasts with Accell’s centralised, multi-brand production strategy and positions Van Nicholas more directly around made-to-order, performance-focused titanium frames.
