American bike brand Cannondale is set to close down its Connecticut headquarters as part of a restructuring by its parent company, Pon Holdings and its US brands; the move is set to see multiple jobs lost.
For years, the company’s global headquarters has been in Wilton, Connecticut, but operations there will be wound down over the next eight months, with the company’s global base moving to Woudenberg, Netherlands, which currently serves as the European HQ.
Research and development, which is currently based in Freiburg, Germany, will continue.
The company’s North American HQ will consolidate with Pon’s other bike brands, Cervélo and Santa Cruz, moving to the West Coast. While it’s said each brand will retain its own identity, Pon says the move will "strengthen its North American operations and retailer support."
"This builds on two years of closer commercial collaboration between the brands to offer retailers greater choice.
"For retailers carrying more than one brand, this means a single point of contact and simpler ordering and support services.
"The aim is to make it easier for retailers to work with Cannondale and access more of the Pon. Bike portfolio," the company’s press release said.
Cannondale has been on the US bike scene since opening for business in Wilton, Connecticut, in 1971, and has established itself as one of the world’s largest bike manufacturers. Dutch multinational Pon Holdings acquired the brand from Dorel Sports in 2021.
The developments come just months after it was announced that Cannondale’s Dutch factory would close, with production moving to Lithuania and Germany and that their Mountain bike team, Cannondale Factory Racing, would close at the end of the year.
Despite its scale, the brand has always had a left-field feel, with its race winning, single-sided Lefty front suspension fork perhaps the company's most radical design. On the road, the brand currently supplies bikes to the EF Education-EasyPost WorldTour and EF Education-Oatly Women’s WorldTour teams.
In Connecticut, roles at all levels will be affected, with PinkBike reporting that 143 staff will lose their jobs, according to paperwork with the State’s Department of Labor.
"The entire office will be closed and almost all employees there will be impacted," said Cannondale’s Global VP, People, Maggie Lansdale, according to PinkBike.
"The first separations are expected to occur on December 21, 2026, and separations are expected to continue in phases through December 31, 2027. The closure and separations will be permanent."
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