Blue Competition Cycles Inc has expanded its presence in Asia, reaching a Korean distribution agreement with Arnold Kim and his TS Sports Ltd company, a premier cycling and triathlon supplier.
Kim and TS Sports become the fifth distributor in Asia for Blue, which recently added new sales representatives in the Southeast and Southwest US markets as the Norcross, Georgia-based company continues its rapid growth.
Over the past four years, Blue has also added Asian sales representatives in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and the Phillipines.
Kim and TS Sports round out Blue’s 2012 international distribution list, with representatives also in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, the UK, Switzerland, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Mexico and South Africa.
Blue’s expansion outside of the US has produced record growth over the past two years, with sales increasing 38% in 2010 and 32% in 2009.
As a result of its international presence, Blue saw 24 riders using its bikes at the 2011 Ironman World Championships in Hawaii this past October, up 266% from the 9 riders in 2010.
Blue’s Kona showing was highlighted by a fourth-place finish by Luxembourg’s Dirk Bockel, a year after Germany’s Andreas Raelert rode Blue to a second-place finish in Kona. Blue was the 15th most-used bike in Kona, up from 25th a year earlier, marking the largest percentage increase of any manufacturer among the top 30 brands each of the last two years.
