CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ALPEN Storage, Inc., maker of the ALPEN Bike Capsule, is partnering with multifamily property owners to rent its Capsule to residential tenants throughout the country. After already achieving popularity with cyclists, ALPEN Storage now sets its sights on partnerships within the real estate industry.
The agreements with residential owners are just the beginning, with municipal and commercial contracts on the horizon. By working with landlords across the industry, ALPEN Storage hopes to meet increasing demand and create a new standard for safety and convenience in bike storage.
ALPEN Storage was founded by Eric Pearson, an entrepreneur, commercial real estate veteran and avid cyclist. Pearson created ALPEN Storage to fulfill a straightforward mandate: create a weatherproof bike locker with visual appeal and a satisfying user experience to securely store bikes outside of living and work spaces.
Built from virtually indestructible roto-molded polymer and equipped with an integrated locking mechanism with optional Bluetooth functionality, ALPEN Bike Capsules are made in the U.S.A., by the manufacturer of YETI coolers and engineered to protect and extend the life of a bicycle. The ALPEN Bike Capsule has been developed for both indoor and outdoor use in residential, commercial, and municipal applications.
Pearson said ALPEN Storage’s initial business strategy was to sell its Capsules directly to cyclists and though the product has already found an enthusiastic fan base with riders worldwide, the company has shifted its marketing focus to the real estate industry. The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a reported spike in bike and e-bike sales and this in turn has accelerated interest in the ALPEN Bike Capsule that has required ALPEN Storage to scale up its marketing strategies, seeking new markets in real estate. The e-bike market saw 90 per cent growth in the U.S. in 2019. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, top e-bike brands have reported between 150 per cent and 400 per cent growth.
MRP Realty, a leading Washington, DC based real estate developer, was an early adopter of ALPEN Bike Capsules at several of their newest luxury apartment buildings adjacent to the Washington Nationals ball park. They are currently expanding unit counts and scaling into their property portfolio. "This was a great value proposition for MRP -- no upfront costs and ancillary income from a high-demand amenity. Our tenants are loving them and we're looking to add units throughout our portfolio,” says John Begert, a principal at MRP.
“Multifamily property owners can rent out otherwise “dead space” in their parking garages and common areas by installing ALPEN Bike Capsules for their tenants’ use,” Pearson said. “The bike capsules also serve as an attractive amenity for tenant retention, as some people are considering leaving their apartments for other locations now that remote working has freed up where people can live and work.”
As interest in its product grows, ALPEN Storage has plans to enter the world of commercial real estate, forming relationships with the owners of offices, hotels and retail centers. The company is also targeting municipalities to install ALPEN Bike Capsules, allowing cyclists to park their bikes safely and conveniently in public spaces without the worry of damage or theft.
Bike enthusiast and Vice President of WhyHotel, an operator of turn-key pop up hotels, Scott Keenan, was an early adopter of the ALPEN Bike Capsule and is exploring business partnership opportunities with his company. Keenan purchased an ALPEN Bike Capsule for personal use earlier this year and keeps the Capsule in the alleyway of his apartment building in Washington, DC. Keenan lives with his wife, Sarah, in a one-bedroom, top floor apartment, and there is a basement where he can store some things, but it’s an ordeal to get bikes out of the basement.
“Sarah has her bike stored there but it’s a pain to retrieve it as other tenants have a tendency to tip over other bikes when getting their own out. It’s a tangled mess,” Keenan said. When he discovered the ALPEN Bike Capsule, he felt like the product was designed with him personally in mind.
Keenan loves the Capsule’s sleek design and takes pride in showing it off to his friends when they visit his apartment. “We go downstairs from my apartment to take a look at the ALPEN Bike Capsule,” he said. “You get attached to your bike and I feel peace of mind that my bike will not be stolen with ALPEN Storage.”
The ALPEN Bike Capsule can accommodate bikes of nearly any size or design, including mountain bikes with wide handlebars. It also has plenty of interior space and handy peg board hooks for cycling accessories. With typical high-end bikes now priced upwards of $8,000 and over 1.5 million stolen each year in the U.S. alone, enthusiasts deserve a better alternative for storing these valuable assets. The ALPEN Bike Capsule gives it to them.
About ALPEN Storage
ALPEN Storage was founded in 2015 to provide urban cyclists with an appealing alternative to storing bikes inside their living and work spaces. Founder Eric Pearson, a lifelong cyclist, had six of his bikes stolen over the years. Confident that there must be a better way, Pearson set out to design the solution. Cocktail napkin sketches soon evolved to computer-aided designs and ALPEN Storage was born. Visit the ALPEN Storage website here.
Eric Pearson and Scott Keenan are available for an interview and to be photographed. Please contact Caroline James to organize. Access images here.
