Lombardo, an Italian, family-owned bicycle manufacturer, is gearing up for its next phase of international expansion and is drawing “significant” interest from private equity, Chief Executive Emilio Lombardo said.

The Sicily-headquartered company, which closed 2025 with EUR 20m in revenue, has reached a solid level of internationalisation, Lombardo said, and generated around 67% of its sales abroad, in key markets including Germany, France and the UK.

This level of exports confirms Lombardo’s “strong international vocation”, he said, adding that further consolidating the brand’s footprint outside Italy is a strategic priority this year.

The primary focus remains on Europe, where there is still substantial room for growth, but the business is also targeting new geographies including the US and South America, he said.

Lombardo Bikes will continue to grow internationally through targeted investments in product development, organisational structure, and production capacity, he said, adding that the business is evaluating the best specific mechanisms to fund this expansion.

While the company is focusing on brand reinforcement, product innovation, industrial efficiency, and commercial expansion across international markets, it is also continuing to develop services and skills that can generate value, he said.

Lombardo Bikes has an opportunistic approach to M&A and could consider tactical acquisitions of peer bicycle brands, components and accessory manufacturers, or technical cycling-wear players, he said.

Management evaluates all logical opportunities consistent with the company’s development plan,” he said, adding, “[g]rowth can come through both organic development and M&A, provided it creates long-term value.”

The inbound interest from private equity (PE) firms is satisfying, as it represents “clear recognition” of Lombardo Bikes’ work in recent years, Lombardo said, declining to comment on whether the company is speaking with investors evaluating strategic options at present.

Lombardo remains a family business with a long-term industrial vision, he said. It carefully evaluates all opportunities that can help it grow, “but today, we are focused on executing our development plan and have no comment to make on potential future scenarios,” he added.

Should the company eventually decide to open its share capital, the ideal investor would be a partner able to share its industrial approach, respect Lombardo’s identity, and contribute to its international growth, he said.

A shared industrial project always takes precedence over the financial transaction itself, he said.

Founded in 1952 by Emilio’s father, Gaspare Lombardo, in Buseto Palizzolo, in the province of Trapani, Lombardo Bikes produces traditional and electric bicycles. It initially forged horseshoes before expanding into bicycle repairs and, eventually, custom frame building, Lombardo said.

Gaspare Lombardo built the company’s very first bicycle to promote two-wheeled freedom as an eco-friendly, practical, and responsible lifestyle, and the company has since grown to develop and manufacture more than 150 models, he said, all named after places in Italy. It has production facilities in Italy and Germany close to Stoccarda and a retail network of over 1,300 points of sales, he said.