Innovation

Starting a business - Specialized Europe

Specialized is one of the largest (sports) bike brands in the world. They don't just sell bicycles; they are also committed to changing lives through bicycles. At the start of 2021, the American brand Specialized moved from 's Heerenberg to Arnhem, to its new offices at business park Arnhems Buiten.

Arnhem's Buiten

"One of the reasons for the move was to make it easier to find suitable staff, which was difficult at the previous location. We were in a remote part of the Netherlands, where we couldn't find a lot of talent. Furthermore, by moving our business to Arnhem, we are closer to people in the Randstad megalopolis", says Thom van Dulmen, Marketing Manager Dutch Spoken Market at Specialized. "Arnhem was the first city that piqued our interest.

We were instantly charmed by its history, innovative nature and all the things that happen here when it comes to sustainable mobility and energy transition. "All these things can be found at Arnhems Buiten". Another thing that Specialized found in Arnhem, was space. Space for scaling up, but also the literal space to move.

Cycling Valhalla
During every break, staff members of Specialized take their mountain bike, racing bike or e-bike to cycle for an hour. From their offices at Arnhems Buiten, they can go to all manner of great spots. "Within minutes of cycling off, you can be in the Betuwe area or in the Veluwe National Park. Arnhem has so many beautiful cycling routes nearby, that you can go off in a different direction every day."

(Inter)nationally oriented
A large part of Specialized's workforce lives in Arnhem, but since the move Specialized has noticed that more people from the Randstad are also applying. The central location allows more people to come and work for Specialized. For an international business like Specialized, the quality train connections are also an important part of the decision to move to Arnhem.

Turbo Test Center
The new HQ is only 4 km from the Specialized Turbo Test Center, which opened in November of 2018. This Turbo Test Center allows consumers to extensively test the Specialized Turbo E-bikes.

Woman on bike

Specialized Foundation
Specialized does a lot more than just manufacture bikes. It has also founded the Specialized Foundation. This foundation helps children who have trouble focusing in school, by letting them cycle. A part of the foundation is Specialized OUTRIDE. This programme demonstrates the benefits of cycling outdoors for your brain. Through research, cycling programmes and subsidy-granting activities, OUTRIDE offers interventions to improve social, emotional, and cognitive health.

This is Arnhem
In this blog series, The Life Net and This is Arnhem like to show how attractive Arnhem is to start and establish as an entrepreneur. It spotlights various internationals or companies that attract internationals. They like to share their inspiring story about how they started and grew with their business. Would you like to know more about starting a business in Arnhem? Pay a visit to Startclub Arnhem or pose your questions to the municipality's ondernemersdesk. This is a translation.