Kona’s troubles started within the pandemic with the risky boom-and-bust that occurred after most manufacturers offered by their season’s inventory earlier than the Fourth of July in 2020. The founders offered to Kent Outdoor—as soon as a maker of bikes themselves, however now largely a holding firm for different outside manufacturers, which embrace Arbor Snowboards, Bote, Connelly, O’Brien and Onyx.
Kent carried out consumer-direct gross sales, which didn’t go properly—some retailers dropped the model as a result of the pricing undercut their income. As soon as they had been capable of restock their stock they quickly discovered themselves closely overstocked and commenced a jaw-dropping BOGO—purchase one bike, get one bike free.
Kona additionally struggled with management turnover, going by 4 CEOs since 2023.
With the announcement that they had been shopping for the model again from Kent, founders Jake Heilbron and Dan Gerhard issued a letter to the trade, which learn, partially, “We believed that the brand new homeowners would carry our imaginative and prescient ahead and proceed to construct nice bikes, make use of nice individuals, and ship on the promise of high quality, enjoyable and somewhat weirdness that had outlined Kona for thus lengthy. Sadly that plan unfolded fairly in another way, so now we’re shopping for Kona again.”
Heilbron and Gerhard have ceased the consumer-direct program, selecting to return to the model’s roots of supporting a community of motorbike retailers.
