Shopping by bike: Best
friend of your city centre
Cycling and Local Economies

www.ecf.com
Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centre

1

2

Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centreShoppingby bike:
Best friendof yourcity centre

Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centre3© Sam Saunders

Acknowledgements

Responsible editor
European Cyclists’ Federation
Rue Franklin 28
B-1000 Brussels

Authors
Holger Haubold
Fiscal and Economic Policy Officerh.haubold@ecf.com
ECF gratefully acknowledges financial support from the European Commission.
Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged.

About the European Cyclists’ Federation
ECF is the umbrella federation of bicycle users’ organisations in Europe and beyond. Our aim is to have more people
cycling more often and we target to double cycling by 2020 in Europe. To reach this goal, we work with our members
and partners on putting cycling on the agenda at global, European, national and regional level.

4Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centre

Main findings

Cycling delivers major economic benefits in the EU: For example, the health benefits due to reduced mortality amount to 114-121
billion EUR, or the benefits of congestion easing to ca. 25 billion EUR. Cycling also creates jobs: At current levels of cycling, morethan 650 000 jobs in the EU 1 are linked to the sector. If cycling modal share was doubled, more than 400 000 extra jobs could becreated 2.
Many of the economic benefits of cycling that have been quantified until now are reaped at the national level, and it is importantto underline those benefits as arguments for ambitious European and national cycling policies and investments in cycling.
However, finding the right arguments the local level also remains crucial: This is where the funding is spent and concrete decisions
on cycling-friendly transformations of certain streets are made. At this level, there sometimes still is a lot of uncertainty about thebenefits of cycling, and local retailers often fear that they would lose customers and turnover if more space is given to cyclists andpedestrians and less space to cars in their streets.
The aim of this report is to show that thesefearsmoment,are unfounded.
We firstshow
that customers going shopping by bike are anAt thecustomers
goingshopping
important source of turnover in retail, and could actually be a source of growth for the local retail sector, especially in city centres,
if we reach our goal of doubling the modal share of cycling. By using an earlier study from Austria, we estimate the following
impact of cycling on retail in the EU:by bike accountfor a consumption volume

111billion
EUR intheshopping
EU-28.
At themoment,
customers
goingby bike accountfor a consumption volume

111 billion EUR in the EU-28.

2If the modal share of cycling was doubled
in the EU (excluding Croatia), this would generate an increase
in retail turnover for local retailers of more than

227EUR
If the modal shareof billion
cycling wasdoubled
This would give an economic boost to city centres,in the EU (excluding Croatia), this would generate an increase
towns and villages all over Europe.
in retail turnover for local retailers of more than
27 billion EURThis would
an economic
boost tocityshow
centres,
Local case studies
fromgiveEuropeand elsewhere
also
that:
towns and villages all over Europe.
• Clients coming by bike spend more than those coming by car, be it during a certain time period or related to theparking space that has to be provided for them. Car drivers might spend more per visit, but they visit shops lessoften. Cyclists do their shopping locally, and are more loyal customers.

• Retailers often under-estimate the share of clients that go shopping by bike, and over-estimate the share of car
users among their customers.
• If a street is transformed in a way that gives more space to cyclists and pedestrians and less to cars, theabsence of clients that came by car before is more than compensated for by the clients that come by foot orby bike afterward.

1. ECF, 2013: Calculating the economic benefits of cycling in EU-27. http://www.ecf.com/wp-content/uploads/ECF_Economic-benefits-of-cycling-in-EU-27.pdf
2. ECF, 2014: Cycling Works – Jobs and Job Creation in the Cycling Economy. http://www.ecf.com/europeancyclingjobs/

Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centre

5

Overview of other studies on cycling and local retail
1. Copenhagen© CColville-Andersen• In Copenhagen, cyclists create more revenue inshops and supermarkets than car drivers (2.05 billion
EUR for cyclists, 2.04 billion EUR for car drivers).
> Study conducted by the City of Copenhagen on the link between shopping
and transport mode (2013).
http://www.cycling-embassy.dk/2013/08/26/are-cyclists-good-customers/

2. BRISTOL© Sam Saunders• In Bristol, retailers overestimated the share ofcar-drivers among their costumers by almost 100
per cent: In a survey, they stated that 41 per cent ofcostumers would come by car, while the actual value
was only at 22 per cent. For cycling, it was the otherway round: Shopkeepers estimated the share ofcyclists among their customers at 6 per cent, while
the actual share was 10 per cent. Shopkeepers also
overestimated the distances customers would travelto their shops: They thought that only 12 per cent ofclients would live less than half a mile from the shop,
while the real value was 42 per cent.
> Shoppers and how they travel (2006), Information sheet by Sustrans.
http://www.tut.fi/verne/wp-content/uploads/Shoppers-and-how-they-travel.
pdf

3. FRANCE© Mitch Altman• In France, a survey in 6 cities found that cyclists
spend more money per week in shops than cardrivers (24.35 EUR for cyclists, 21.65 EUR for cardrivers). They spend less money per visit, but
visited shops more often.

6> Brichet, Heran: Commerces de centre-ville et de proximité et modes non
motorisés . Publication ADEME n°4841 (2003).
http://www.weekvandemobiliteit.be/system/files/bijlagen/velocommerce_2003_rapfin.pdf

Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centre

4. Bern• In Bern, a consumer survey found that clientscoming by bike create 7 500 EUR of revenue persquare metre of dedicated parking space, while
car drivers only brought 6 625 EUR.

© Márcio Cabral de Moura> Mit dem Fahrrad zum Einkaufen. Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik (Difu)
gGmbH (2011).
http://www.nationaler-radverkehrsplan.de/transferstelle/downloads/for-a-04.pdf

5. Davis (California)• In Davis (California), a study analysing almost
1.900 shopping trips to a new store found that cyclists spend $ 250 per months, car drivers only $ 180.

© Natalie Maynor> Popovich, Handy: Bicyclists as Consumers. Mode Choice and Spending
Behavior in Downtown Davis, California (2014).
http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/doi/pdf/10.3141/2468-06

6. Flanders© apalca• In Flanders, a Master thesis analysing thetransformation of a street from giving space
predominantly to cars towards more public transport(tram), walking and cycling came to the conclusionthat the customers not coming anymore because of
the lack of car parking after the transformation werereplaced entirely by clients coming by bike or byfoot, and that turnover was slightly higher after thetransformation. 81 per cent of the shop owners that
had established themselves after the transformation
were satisfied with their turnover.
> Delaere, Vandommele: Ruimtelijke en economische impact van fiets- en
tramverbindingen, Casestudie Mortsel – Boechout (2015).
http://www.scriptiebank.be/scriptie/ruimtelijke-en-economische-impact-van-fiets-en-tramverbindingen-casestudie-mortsel-boechout

Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centre

7

Detailed calculation

Current volume of shopping by bike in the EU

8

CURRENT CYCLING
MODAL SHARE

CURRENT VOLUME OF SHOPPINGBY BIKE (MILLION EUR)

European Union (28 countries)

7.64%

111.476

Belgium

13.0%

5.483

Bulgaria

1.9%

92

Czech Republic

7.1%

1.139

Denmark

18.9%

4.847

Germany

13.0%

36.734

Estonia

5.0%

77

Ireland3.1%

527

Greece

3.1%

1.129

Spain

1.9%

2.509

France

3.1%

6.910

Croatia

6.0%

419

Italy

5.0%

10.788

Cyprus1.0%

29

Latvia8.1%

205

Lithuania

5.0%

258

Luxembourg

1.9%

49

Hungary

18.9%

1.898

Malta

1.5%

18

Netherlands

31.0%

16.442Austria

8.1%

3.011

Poland

9.0%

3.912

Portugal

1.9%

353

Romania

5.0%

830

Slovenia

7.1%

357

Slovakia

9.9%

629

Finland

13.0%

2.834

Sweden

17.1%

6.102

United Kingdom

1.9%

3.895

Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centre

Additional turnover for retailers
if cycling modal share is doubled in the EU
NEW MODAL SHARE

INCREASE IN LOCALRETAIL TURNOVER (MILLION EUR)

European Union(27 countries, excluding Croatia)

15.3%

27.389Belgium

25.6%

1.299

Bulgaria

5.1%

39

Czech Republic

16.5%

368

Denmark

32.4%

850

Germany

25.6%

8.705

Estonia12.5%

29

Ireland

8.0%

205

Greece

8.0%

439

Spain

5.1%

1.064

France

8.0%

2.685

Italy

12.5%

4.008

Cyprus2.7%

12Latvia18.2%

63

Lithuania

12.5%

96

Luxembourg

5.1%

21

Hungary

32.4%

333

Malta

4.1%

8

Netherlands

37.3%

814

Austria

18.2%

926

Poland

20.3%

1.203

Portugal

5.1%

150

Romania

12.5%

308

Slovenia

16.5%

115

Slovakia

21.7%

184

Finland

25.6%

672

Sweden

30.0%

1.141

United Kingdom

5.1%

1.652

Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centre

9Methodology

The calculation of the current volume of shopping by bike and the increase in retail turnover that would occur if cycling modal
share was doubled is based on an earlier study from Austria 3.
Current volume of shopping by bikeIn this study, the current volume of shopping by bike is calculated as a percentage of the consumption volume of consumer goods.
In order to calculate this value, the following methodology was used.
First, the total volume of consumption in each country was calculated by multiplying the values of two statistics retrieved fromEurostat4:• Mean consumption expenditure by household [hbs_exp_t111]• Number of private households by household composition, number of children and age of youngest child (1 000)
[lfst_hhnhtych].
In a second step, the share of consumer goods in total consumption was computed for each country, since the overall value also
includes items like energy, communication, or housing which are not relevant for retail shopping. The calculation of the share ofconsumer goods is based on the data set „Overall structure of consumption expenditure by detailed COICOP level (1 000)
[hbs_str_t211]“ and comprises the following items:• CP01

Food and non-alcoholic beverages• CP02

Alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics• CP03

Clothing and footwear• CP051 Furniture and furnishings, carpets and other floor coverings• CP052 Household textiles• CP053 Household appliances• CP054 Glassware, tableware and household utensils• CP055 Tools and equipment for house and garden• CP0561	Non-durable household goods• CP0611 Pharmaceutical products• CP095	Newspapers, books and stationery• CP091 Audio-visual, photographic and information processing equipment• CP092 Other major durables for recreation and culture• CP093 Other recreational items and equipment, gardens and pets
• CP1213 Other appliances, articles and products for personal care
• CP123

Personal effects n.e.c.

The combined share of these items in total consumption varies considerably between countries, from 27 per cent in theNetherlands to 50-51 per cent in countries like Malta, Romania or Lithuania. In order to account for this variation, it is important
to include it in the calculation.
The aforementioned study from Austria had computed a share of 6.6 per cent in the consumption of consumer goods forshopping by bike. This calculation is based on the assumption that shopping by bike is local shopping and overwhelmingly done in
the municipality of residence. Therefore, the authors of the study use the share of consumption that is done in the own municipality

3. CIMA Beratung + Management GmbH for LebensministeriumÖsterreich (2010): StudieRadfahren und Einkaufen. Die wirtschaftlicheBedeutung und Potentiale des Fahrradesfür den Einzelhandel in Österreich. https://www.bmlfuw.gv.at/dam/jcr:312a3473-e6b5-4f7f-8281-26bb82aa8737/Studie_20Radfahren_20und_20Einkaufen%5B1%5D.pdf
4. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat

10

Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centre

by residents and the level of cycling for shopping as parameters to determine the share of shopping by bike in consumption.
Obviously, this is a value that has been calculated specifically for Austria, using consumption volume data from all cities andmunicipalities in the country. Since there are no comparable statistics available for the other countries, this value has been usedhere to extrapolate values for the rest of the EU. Since the modal share of cycling in Austria (8.1 per cent) is closer to the Europeanaverage (7.64 per cent) than in any other EU country, it can be assumed that also the share of shopping by cycling is close to theEU average value. Therefore, the use of the Austrian value for the other countries should not lead to results that would completely
distort the calculation.
In order to account for differences in cycling levels, the ratio of the share of shopping by bike and the overal modal share in Austria(6.6 per cent divided by 8.1 per cent) is applied to the modal shares of the other countries, which are based on a previous ECF study
on the job creation effects of cycling 5. For example, in the Netherlands with a modal share of 31 per cent, the share of shopping by
bike would be 25 per cent, whereas in the UK with a modal share of 1.9 per cent it would be 1.5 per cent.
Finally, the share of shopping by bike in the consumption of consumer goods is multiplied by the total volume of consumption ofconsumer goods to compute the value of shopping done by bike.
Comparing the value for Austria with the one from the original study shows that our value (ca. 3 billion EUR) is higher than theformer one (2.5 billion EUR). This can mainly be explained by the fact that the original study uses household consumption datafrom 2004, whereas we used data from 2010. Household consumption in Austria has increased during that time period by
15 per cent.
Increase of turnover in retail with doubling of cycling modal share
The calculation of the increase in turnover in retail with a doubling in the modal share of cycling is also based on the aforementioned
study from Austria, which has calculated an increase of retail turnover of 0.2 per cent for each percentage point increase in cycling
modal share. This is applied to the growth in modal share estimated for each country , based on the total consumption of consumer
goods.
The model dividing the doubling of the aggregate EU cycling modal share between the different countries is based on the ECF study
on jobs creation mentioned above. This model attributes a higher growth rate of modal share to countries with low base values,and a much lower growth rate to countries with high base values, like the Netherlands.
Finally, Croatia is not included in this calculation since there is no data available to estimate the growth of modal share.

5. http://www.ecf.com/wp-content/uploads/141125-Cycling-Works-Jobs-and-Job-Creation-in-the-Cycling-Economy.pdf

Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centre

11

Rue Franklin, 28
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Phone: +32 2 880 92 74
Fax: +32 2 880 92 75
office@ecf.com

www.ecf.com
12

Shopping by bike: Best friend of your city centre