
Podcast: from garage to market leader
SIP Scootershop turns 30 years old! 1994 - 2024: What was once founded in a garage by two friends is now the (world) market leader for spare parts and replacement parts for scooters. The podcast with Ulrich Zimmermann "Wegebedarf" discusses the development steps and the pitfalls on this long journey.
Ulrich Zimmermann: "Today we had another exciting interview, the second with Ralf Jodl from SIP Scootershop. We're sitting in Landsberg, and the smell of Italian coffee is in the air. Video screens flicker around us, showing happy people on their scooters in the sunshine. Behind this scenery is a fascinating story - the rise of a company that started out in a garage and has now developed into a global market leader with over 500,000 customers and 60,000 products in its online shop."

"Ralf, the co-founder and managing director of SIP Scootershop, talks about the early days when he and his friend Alex bought Vespas at the age of 16 because they liked the lifestyle surrounding these scooters. They not only thought the vehicles were cool, but also the music, the parties and the feeling of freedom. In their spare time, they Screws on their Vespas and gained a lot of knowledge that later became the basis for their business. At first it wasn't a business, but an expensive hobby. They began to buy special parts from Italy for themselves and friends. These activities gradually developed into a business.
The breakthrough came when they travelled to a meeting in Aachen with a Backpack full of scooter parts and sold everything there within two hours. From then on, the idea of expanding the business grew. Initially, they used Alex's parents' garage and later a basement room to store their parts. Over time, the business became more and more professional, they rented larger spaces, developed their own products and offered them in the online shop.
An important chapter was the move to a former barracks, where they found enough space for their growing business. Thanks to favourable rental agreements and their entrepreneurial risk-taking, they were able to expand there for several years. They benefited from a strong network of other companies in the barracks and entered the Internet business early on, which brought them their international breakthrough.
The company's success was based on several factors: continuous product development, close contact with the Vespa community and a commitment to always recognising and serving the needs of their customers. They visited numerous other companies to optimise their logistics and even developed their own merchandise management system.
Despite the expansion and the increased number of employees (now 170 employees), the spirit of the company has not changed. Ralf and Alex (Alexander Barth, the other co-founder and managing director) continue to live out their passion for Vespas and are active in the community. They regularly organise events and scooter rides and integrate their experience into product development.
Ralf emphasises how important it is to network, find the right people and never accept "no" as the final answer. Entrepreneurship is not always easy, but with passion, perseverance and a bit of luck, you can achieve a lot."
Ulrich Zimmermann, WegeBedarf Podcast. Click here for all episodes: https://www.podcast.de/podcast/1812188/archiv