Kent International
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Kent International Inc is an American company that is engaged in the import and distribution of bicycles and bicycle accessories on a worldwide basis. The company is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. Their products are imported and sourced from China, Taiwan, and Portugal; assembly of 500 bikes a day in a South Carolina factory began in 2014.[1]
History
Kent is a family-owned company dating back to the early 1900s when the current President's grandfather immigrated to the United States and got a job working for the owner of a bike shop in New York. During the process of restoring old bike frames, a love for cycling was born, and in 1909, he opened his own bike shop on the Lower East Side of the city. This small bike shop led to a larger store in New Jersey where the current President's father started his own company called Philkam Cycle in 1947. Philkam supplied bikes and parts to stores all over the Eastern United States. Philkam Cycle changed its name in 1958 to Kent International. The Company is the 2nd largest supplier to the Mass Market USA and has recently developed a rapidly expanding IBD business by "leveraging their extreme buying power" which they claim allows bike shops to offer "much better value than before". They are the owners of WeeRide which is marketed as a "very innovative" line of bike accessories.[2]
Products
Kent markets the following products generally through large chain-stores and internet marketers:
Licensed brands
Five Licensed Brands:
- Jeep Bikes which includes hybrid bikes and mountain bikes.[3]
- GMC Bikes which includes road bikes and mountain bikes.[4]
- Razor Bikes which are higher-performance mountain bike style for children.[5]
- Little Miss Match bicycles - "innovative designs" for girls bikes and helmets
- Cadillac - license expired.
Kent brand
Kent branded bikes
- Adult Bikes which includes all-terrain, cruiser, comfort and specialty models for adults.[6]
- Kids Bikes which includes scooters in 10", 12", 14", 16", 18", 20", and 24" models.[7]
- Specialty Bikes including tandems, adult tricycles, folders, portables, and other unique bicycles.[8]
Accessories
- WeeRide Bikes which includes child and pet carriers, pushbikes, trailers, tag-a-longs etc.[9]
References
- ^ Kent International opens South Carolina factory, October 15, 2014
- ^ Kent Bicycles profile http://www.kent.bike/info/our-story
- ^ http://www.kent.bike/bikes/jeep/
- ^ http://www.kent.bike/bikes/gmc/
- ^ http://www.kent.bike/bikes/razor/
- ^ http://www.kent.bike/bikes/adult/
- ^ http://www.kent.bike/bikes/kids/
- ^ http://www.kent.bike/bikes/specialty/
- ^ http://www.kent.bike/bikes/weeride/
